


Things May Change

by samariumwriting



Series: Disrupted Flow [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence - Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Child Abuse, Found Family, Gen, Nonbinary My Unit | Byleth, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), platonic intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27121900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samariumwriting/pseuds/samariumwriting
Summary: After the experiments that tore her childhood to shreds, Edelgard had seen enough. She was done with politics, done with intrigue, and absolutely done with the future of the Empire resting on her shoulders. So, on a day just like any other, she ran away.Years later, the Knights of Seiros happen upon a mercenary group aiding their students in Remire Village. Among that group are the Ashen Demon and Crimson Striker, and when they come to the monastery, they change everything.
Relationships: Black Eagles Students & Edelgard von Hresvelg, Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth
Series: Disrupted Flow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979671
Comments: 43
Kudos: 66
Collections: Edeleth Big Bang 2020





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my work for the Edeleth big bang! When I started this, it had been a long time since I'd written much Byleth and I've barely written Edelgard before, so I wanted to take a shot at exploring the very deep bond I think they can have. This concept was really exciting to work with so I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> I worked during this event with [@CanCrunchGoats](https://cancrunchgoatsart.tumblr.com/) (link goes to her Tumblr!) who drew some absolutely FANTASTIC art for this fic that I've loved seeing take shape. I was also working with another artist who ~mysteriously vanished~ part way through the event, but if their pieces ever surface I'll add them too!

“You mind your step as you go, Edelgard,” her father said, a small, tired smile gracing his face. He was always tired these days, though Edelgard never saw him do anything.

“Of course, father,” she replied, faking the sunniest smile she could and turning to leave. “I always do.”

“And I will always tell you to,” he said, his laugh coming out half as a wheeze. So, just to give him even a flicker of happiness, she watched her step on the stairs that led from his throne and made her way back down the hallway.

Just as she reached the exit of the throne room, the door opened. Edelgard winced and shrank back a little as brighter light - and an unwelcome figure - entered. Lord Arundel, her uncle, though she had come to doubt that he was truly who he said he was. “Ah, Lady Edelgard,” he said.

“Uncle,” she replied coolly. “It’s a lovely afternoon, isn’t it? I was just on my way to enjoy the sunshine.”

His smile was nasty. Predatory, even. He knew what her words meant - or he thought he did, anyway. “Of course,” he said. “I have some business with your father, so run along.”

He said it as if she was a  _ child. _ No, she was Edelgard von Hresvelg, and she was all of twelve summers. She was not a child.

But she grit her teeth and followed his bidding, because he didn’t know what she really meant when she spoke. She didn’t go out to the gardens to enjoy the evening sunlight, streaming as it did through every long window of the palace hallways.

No, she went up to her bedroom and pulled a bag, suitable for travelling, out of the bottom of her wardrobe. It was the one she took with her to Fhirdiad a lifetime ago. It was already half-packed, but now she stowed the rest of her planned provisions in there - another set of clean, practical clothes, a purse full of coins, and a flask she’d pinched from the stables earlier that day.

With that done, she went over to the centre of the room to collect the final - and perhaps most important - item.

On her bed, there was a note, propped up on the pillow. ‘Dear Lady Edelgard,’ it read, in Hubert’s unmistakeable handwriting. ‘When I arrived this afternoon, you had already departed to call in on your father - I am sorry to have missed you. I have gone to prepare your evening meal, so please expect it at seven o’clock sharp. Yours, Hubert.’

Edelgard frowned at the neat penmanship. She’d spent the afternoon with her father and not spared a thought for Hubert’s schedule when she planned all of this.

In spite of everything, she would miss him. She picked up the pen on her desk and turned the paper over. ‘I’m sorry,’ she wrote, her pen strokes swift. She didn’t have much time to lose - there were only twenty minutes remaining until seven.

Swiftly, she pulled the dagger out from under her pillow and slid it into the outer pocket of the bag. With that, she was as ready as she’d ever be, so she descended the steps outside her bedroom and hurried down the winding corridors that led to the longest lawn in the palace.

Edelgard made sure not to break into a run when she reached it. The future was so close; all she needed to do was be patient and she’d be able to seize it with both hands. She made her way down the garden as if she really was just taking an early evening stroll, ducked into the rose garden, and walked until she met the outer wall.

For a moment, she looked at it. This was the only thing separating her from the world beyond. A whole world just waiting to be seen, one that wasn’t constrained by Arundel or tradition or- or anything.

She put her hands to the grainy, uneven surface, and let her feet find the vines that climbed up the back wall. This far down the garden, there was no one to see what she did, but she hurried a little anyway. Just in case.

When she reached the top, she paused for a moment. She looked down at the garden, more easily viewed at the height of her short climb. It looked like a terribly dark, lonely place, even as sunlight streaked across it.

And with that, she left. Her intention was never to return.

* * *

“Morning, kid.” Byleth looked up from their sword to nod to their father as he approached. “How’re you doing today?”

“Fine,” they answered. Pretty much the same answer as the one they gave every day, but if their father minded he didn’t let them know.

“Good,” he said, “because I have a little task for you. We have a new job, and I want you to do the route plotting.”

“Why?” they asked. They only ever did work like this when they were short staffed, and they were only short staffed when they were short of work. They decidedly hadn’t been lately.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he asked, smiling at them. They nodded. “Okay, kid, I’ve had my fun. I want you to plot the route because we’re tracking a child who’s moving by foot. Try as I might, I can’t get into that kind of frame of mind.”

They nodded; it made enough sense. “What’s the job?” they asked. Tracking a child was new - whenever they did tracking, it was of criminals, and normally a group of criminals at that.

“It’s from an anonymous noble of the Empire,” he explained. “They’ve lost their princess, somehow.” Byleth raised an eyebrow at him. “I know. I asked how they managed it too, but apparently she ran away. They didn’t say why, but they need her back, for obvious reasons. They’re paying well.”

As he spoke, he held the map out towards them. They took it and spread it out on the surface in front of them. “I’m on it,” they said. They didn’t exactly think like the ‘usual’ child, but it was something to do. They didn’t mind.

It turned out that working out the route she’d taken was easy. The Empire had already managed to rule out several options, which meant she was moving towards the border with the Alliance. And as they travelled, moving further away from Enbarr with each day, plenty of people had information.

They’d pinpointed her path up until there, but once they reached the border, things got trickier. Lots of people were on the move, and lots of people were complete strangers to each other. They had to stop more and more to ask if anyone had seen a small, white-haired girl on her own.

Fortunately, this imperial princess tended to leave quite an impression on the people she encountered, so information was plentiful. Outside a small border town, with houses running down almost to the river, they finally managed to catch up to her and find out where she was staying the night.

Searching the woods for a single missing child by the light of the moon and stars was tricky, even for experienced mercenaries. They crashed through the undergrowth, and Byleth just wanted to tell them all to  _ shut up  _ or the girl would get away.

Eventually, it became clear that she was running away from them. If there’d ever been any doubt over whether she’d run or if she was just lost, all those questions were well out of mind now. Fortunately, as she ran, she left a trail. And when she left a trail, they could circle round and cut her off.

After what must have been hours of searching, running, and attempting to peer through dark branches, a cry rang out across a clearing. A cheer followed shortly afterwards as the mercenaries dashed towards the sound.

Byleth entered the area to the sight of a girl struggling in their father’s grip. “Get your hands off me right now, fiend!” she called.

Jeralt sighed. “Come on, princess,” he said. “The game is up. You’re going home.”

The girl struggled under his gaze for a little while longer, until she finally gave up, but not before shooting every mercenary in their group a foul look. “Unhand me, then,” she said. “If you’re here for me, then see to it you  _ don’t _ treat me roughly.”

“Definitely a princess,” one of the mercenaries confirmed with a laugh. She received a particularly fierce look in reply. “We heading back now?”

Jeralt shook his head. “It’s late,” he said. “There’s space here. We’ll camp for the night.”

The girl huffed the moment she was released, taking three steps away from Byleth’s father as she did so. “If we must,” she said. Definitely not lost.

“Hey By, would you mind sharing with her?” Jeralt asked. They looked at the girl. They looked at the rest of the mercenaries in the company, all a good foot taller than her. The tents weren’t large, and while Byleth didn’t tend to be in favour of sharing a tent…

“That’s fine,” they said. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

The girl scowled at them in reply, turning her nose up at them when they looked at her again, but she didn’t make a fuss as the rest of the company pitched their tents. She even settled down to sleep without much protest; try as she might, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was tired.

Byleth could empathise. After all that searching, they were tired too, and they weren’t the person being hunted. Even with their awareness of the guard stationed outside the tent, making sure she didn’t slip out during the night, Byleth found themselves drifting off to sleep.

They didn’t know how much later it was when they awoke. They didn’t know  _ why  _ they woke either; there was no light streaming in through the fabric, no sound outside informing them the day had begun. They shot a glance over at the girl, wondering if she’d woken too.

The girl (Edelgard, if Byleth recalled the name on the job description) shivered under her single blanket. Her face was scrunched up, and that was when Byleth realised what had woken them; she was crying.

Byleth shifted a little closer, and the girl froze, holding completely still. “Are you scared?” they asked, casting a glance towards the entrance of the tent. Given the light flickering outside, there was still a guard stationed outside.

Edelgard shook her head, but Byleth wasn’t inclined to believe her. She was shaking like a leaf. And she was so… small. Byleth wasn’t a particularly tall person, but she still seemed so tiny to them. Like she’d blow away if they got caught in a storm. “It’s okay to be scared.”

Edelgard’s expression softened a bit. “Do you think you’re scaring me?” she asked. There was some of that strength returning to her voice that Byleth had heard before.

“I scare children in villages sometimes,” they replied. They hadn’t been asking if she was scared of them, not really, but maybe she was. They knew some people definitely found them intimidating.

“I’m not scared of you,” Edelgard said, her voice firm. Her hands still gripped the blanket tightly, her knuckles visibly turning white even in the darkness.

“Why were you crying, then?”

A pause. Edelgard’s eyes turned down towards the blanket. “You’re taking me back to Enbarr, correct?” she asked.

Byleth nodded. That was what was on the job description. Once they did that, their father said they’d be paid enough that he could expand the company. “We came to find you and take you home,” they said, even though that had been explained to her several times.

“And if I don’t want to go back?” she asked, her voice hushed.

Oh. Oh, that made sense. Her reticence, even when presented with food and dry clothes and a place to stay. The harshness of her tone when addressing her father, and the contrast with how she seemed now. The fact that she’d so clearly run away. “Why?”

Edelgard crossed her arms over her chest. It was probably meant to make her look stern, but instead she just looked more vulnerable. “Why do I have to tell you?”

“I can’t agree with you if I don’t know why,” they said. Yes, she could have a good reason. She could have a  _ very  _ good reason. But until they knew that she wasn’t just a noble brat who ran away because daddy wouldn’t buy her a pony, there wasn’t much they could do.

“I was one of eleven siblings,” Edelgard said. Eleven. Byleth blinked, but decided not to question it. “I was ninth in line for the throne. I am now the first, and only, heir. Does that tell you what you need to know?”

Byleth stared at her for a moment. They had no idea what could have happened to kill so many children, but whatever it was couldn’t be anything good. It definitely wasn’t anything Edelgard should go back to. “I can’t promise anything,” they decided, “but I’ll try and talk my father out of it.”


	2. Recognised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard and Byleth's night is interrupted by a trio of students. Their plight, and everything that comes after it, sets off a chain of events no one could have anticipated.

It was the early hours of the morning when Byleth woke in the inn. It was the dream again, of course; it always was. Armies clashing endlessly on a dark field, a little girl who never remembered their name.

It always had them a little on edge, a little concerned. They squeezed their eyes shut for a moment, and when they saw the bright flash of clashing swords once more, they opened them again. They rolled over, trying not to find the same shapes on the inn’s wall.

They were not in a mysterious cavern, nor a field stained with blood. They were in an inn, and Edelgard stirred in the bed on the other side of the room. Everything was fine.

Everything  _ seemed  _ fine, at least, until they heard the sound of shouting outside the window. Edelgard startled and sat upright, shooting them a wary, questioning look. A quick glance outside had them shaking their head; whatever it was, they couldn’t see from here. That meant they’d have to check it out.

They moved in silence, knowing that whatever it was ideally wouldn’t be alerted to their approach. Within minutes of waking, they were ready to leave, along with several other mercenaries who must have been woken by the noise.

“I’m just saying, if you hadn’t  _ followed me…”  _ a voice complained, and Byleth relaxed their stance a little. That wasn’t an adult’s voice.

“What was I to do?” came the reply. “In a scenario in which I am abandoned by my allies, it makes sense to join up with them again so a stand could be made. I should have known you had no interest in making one.”

“Right you are,” the first voice said, and that was when Byleth, with Edelgard right behind them, rounded the corner to see who the mysterious, loud strangers were.

There were three of them: a tall, blond boy, and two slightly shorter ones, each dressed in black and gold. One, wearing a red-lined cape, looked decidedly dead on his feet. As he spoke, his voice joined the bickering of the prior two. “I believe Claude made what he refers to as a tactical retreat,” he drawled.

“Exactly, Linhardt!” the boy dressed in a gold cape, presumably Claude, said. “It was a well-timed retreat, too; I couldn’t have taken all of those bandits on with just my bow.”

“We’re in no better a position than we were  _ before _ you fled the site of our engagement,” the taller boy said. “Which, incidentally, I  _ thought _ was meant to be carefully watched for any intruders by our friend here.”

Edelgard sighed audibly next to Byleth, and yet the trio still didn’t notice any of them. She cleared her throat, at which point they all startled. “Is something the matter?” she asked.

“Ah, yes!” the man said, standing more firmly upright. When his eyes met Edelgard’s, he stilled. After a moment, he dipped into a short bow and smiled. “I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, and I would ask for your assistance. Myself and my companions have been set upon by bandits and are in need of aid in dispatching them.”

“You only had to ask,” Edelgard said, shrugging her axe off her shoulders. “How many?”

The answer turned out to be ‘a few, but not so many that they were a problem’. The trio sprung into action immediately, and despite their incompetence in coming to an agreement over anything minutes before, they were rather efficient on the battlefield.

“You all go left,” Byleth said, nodding to the three once the first handful of bandits were gone. “Myself and Gardia will go right and cut through the forest.”

“Gardia…?” Dimitri asked, squinting at Edelgard. Edelgard scowled back at him, and he nodded. “I see. We will follow your word.”

From there, it was easy. Byleth and Edelgard cut through the remaining bandits, while the trio blocked off one of their avenues of escape. And when one of the bandits rose after being knocked down, Edelgard drew a dagger instantly to fight him off.

As she finished him, Byleth caught sight of the trio moving through the trees, backed up by several other well-armoured soldiers. Their backup had arrived, apparently, and just a moment too late.

The next few minutes were nothing but… confusing, really. Their father emerged from the village, and then one of the knights recognised him. Byleth exchanged a glance with Edelgard, who shrugged. ‘We need to be careful,’ she mouthed, and they nodded in return.

When people were recognised, it never meant anything good. Especially with the curious looks they were clearly attracting from the trio they’d aided; students, apparently, at an academy Byleth had never heard of but Edelgard and Jeralt stiffened at the mention of.

“And who are these lovely individuals?” Alois asked, his attention directed towards Byleth and Edelgard.

“My… children,” Jeralt said after a moment. “The younger is Gardia, the elder is Byleth.” Byleth tipped their hand in a short wave, and Alois smiled.

“Well, I can see they took after the fairer side of the family!” he said with a laugh. “I can’t believe it. Our Jeralt, with two children. Why, with the way you haven’t aged a day, it’s hard to believe you can  _ have _ adult children!”

“Well, I do,” Jeralt said, “and these adults have jobs to do, so if you wouldn’t mind excusing us-”

“Nonsense!” Alois said. His cheer was almost exhausting. “You absolutely must come with us to the monastery. It’s been so long, and everyone thought you were dead.”

“Did they now…” Jeralt muttered. Byleth looked at him, but he shook his head. “You strike a hard deal, Alois. But either way, it’ll have to be quick.”

Alois’ face split into a grin. “Fantastic,” he said, turning to go back the way he came. “If we get going now, we might make it back before lunch.”

The journey over to the monastery and whatever waited for them there was tense. Jeralt stood out at the front, talking with all the knights as if they were his old pals, but Byleth couldn’t ignore the tense line to his shoulders. Meanwhile, they were stuck at the back with the students.

Normally, they’d say that Edelgard could take care of herself and there was no need for Byleth to supervise. After all, it was Edelgard who had the social skills. But the students they’d rescued were… persistent.

“Is there any chance we may have met somewhere before?” Dimitri asked. “Have you ever been to Fhirdiad?”

“I’m a mercenary,” Edelgard answered. Dimitri blinked, looking a little confused.

“That means she has,” Linhardt said. “Most mercenaries have either a fixed base or travel extensively. Considering that Remire Village can be described as quaint at best, it seems logical that Jeralt’s group roam Fódlan.”

“You roam across borders?” Claude asked. For most of the light conversation they’d made, before Dimitri dropped the question he’d clearly been waiting forever to ask, Claude had been silent, but now his eyes lit up with interest. “Been anywhere fun?”

“Plenty of places,” Byleth answered. “All the major cities of Fódlan. Brigid, once.”

“Oh, really?” Linhardt asked. “When was that?”

“Your father employed us,” Edelgard answered, and then closed her mouth firmly shut. She’d said something wrong, though Byleth couldn’t immediately guess as to what. “Presuming that you are the von Hevring child?”

“The von Hevring son, yes,” Linhardt said. “Regretfully.”

Claude snorted just as Dimitri made a noise of indignation. “Linhardt!” he said. “You should be proud of the authority you have within the Empire. Just because you have no desire to take up any of the responsibilities…”

“Maybe Gardia here has met Dimitri before,” Claude said, cutting in. Internally, Byleth cursed his persistence. “Does the King ever hire mercenaries?”

“No,” Dimitri said with a frown, his brow furrowed in thought. “We have plenty of soldiers, and I don’t often visit the place where people gather to offer their swords for coin.”

“I don’t offer a sword for anything,” Edelgard said, “so you wouldn’t have seen me there anyway.”

“I would remember your sibling, though,” Dimitri said, and it was only after Edelgard opened her mouth once more that Byleth realised that it was a shielded attempt to get information.

“We’re not siblings,” she said. “Byleth is just a very close friend. We’re like family, but we don’t share any parents.”

“Oh, I thought Jeralt said that you were his children?” Claude asked. His smile was casual, matching his tone, but Byleth knew he was onto them. Or onto something, at least.

“It’s easier to explain than the full truth,” Byleth said. They trusted Edelgard not to say anything that would reveal them further, but… “Gardia has been under my father’s care for quite a while. He considers her a daughter.”

“Oh, how long?” Linhardt asked. “You’re from Adrestia, yes?” Edelgard looked at him questioningly. “It’s in your accent.”

“Long enough to know all the jokes he reuses,” she said, letting out a short laugh. Byleth knew it was hollow, but hopefully the others wouldn’t pick up on it. “And yes, I was born in Adrestia.”

In that moment, Jeralt broke from the rest of the knights and Byleth let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully he’d get them out of the mess this was quickly degenerating into. “Sorry to break up the introductions,” Jeralt said, “but we’re nearly there. It would be good to pick up the pace.”

Once they were within the monastery’s walls, Alois immediately hurried them over to the Archbishop’s audience chamber. On their way, however, they moved through a courtyard. Just as they passed through, people all in similar uniforms to those of the students they’d been travelling with streamed out of the classrooms.

“Ah, I hoped we’d miss the rush,” Alois said, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, you three house leaders can hurry along to lunch. We’ll talk later about everything that happened in that exercise, alright?”

“Of course!” Dimitri said. “Sorry again for causing so much trouble.”

“No need to apologise as long as you’re alright,” Alois said, moving to pat Dimitri on the shoulder. “We’ll just need your account.”

Dimitri nodded, and the three of them turned to leave. Just as they did so, however, a voice called across the packed courtyard. “Edelgard?!”

Byleth watched as Edelgard practically deflated next to them. Through the crowd, now full of people staring directly at them, a young man with bright ginger hair pushed his way towards them. “It is you!” he said. “Edelgard von Hresvelg. I wasn’t sure from a distance, but now I’m closer I’m absolutely certain. What in the name of  _ Fódlan  _ have you been doing?”

“Who are you?” Edelgard croaked out. “I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

The man huffed. “I am Ferdinand von Aegir!” he said with a flourish. “And I have known  _ you  _ since we were both yea high.” As he spoke, he gestured at his knees. Edelgard groaned, and the concern on her face only deepened when Dimitri turned around again.

“So you  _ are  _ Edelgard,” he said, and was there- Byleth was sure they could see hurt on his face. “I thought I recognised you.”

“Shit,” Edelgard muttered next to them. Byleth had no idea what to do. It was a little hard to deny, especially with so many people who seemingly recognised her, but at the same time…

Nope. They had no idea what to do in this situation.

“Did you say  _ Edelgard,  _ Ferdinand?” From there, another figure pushed through the crowd; a taller man with dark hair and an expression like a rapidly approaching storm.

“A-alright, students,” Alois said haltingly. “Our guests have an audience with Archbishop Rhea. If you want to speak to them later, I’m sure they’ll be available, so please head to lunch now.” He moved to guide them through the rest of the crowd, which now rapidly dispersed. Byleth stood a little closer to Edelgard.

Alois led them up the stairs quickly, dodging around anyone who tried to speak to them. There was talking all around, and everyone was staring, but Byleth couldn’t make out a single particular thread. As they knew it was Edelgard who was being spoken about, it was decidedly disconcerting.

“Archbishop Rhea, visitors for you,” Alois said, dipping into a short bow as he entered the room. He looked at the three of them almost expectantly, but none of them copied the gesture. “The former captain of the Knights, Jeralt Eisner, and his child Byleth.”

Byleth took a moment to examine the Archbishop. She looked young, but in a timeless way; they couldn’t pinpoint her age in the slightest. Her smile was small, but decidedly sincere, and her gaze was piercing. She looked directly at them.

“And you are Edelgard, the Imperial princess,” Rhea said, turning her gaze to Edelgard. Byleth watched as she swallowed and then nodded.

“The former Imperial princess,” she said.

“Quite,” she said. “And your arrival has thrown quite a few things into disarray, even though your presence has been known for mere minutes. On receiving a messenger about Jeralt here and his mercenary group, I had a few things in mind as to how to respond, but you force my hand in other directions.”

“You need not adjust anything for me,” Edelgard said firmly, but the Archbishop shook her head.

“I am afraid I must,” she said. “So I will extend you an offer for your own safety, Edelgard, to study here at the Academy.”

“I am not-”

“If you object, there is but one alternative,” she said. “You could join the Knights of Seiros and fight at their side.”

Edelgard’s body tensed and then untensed. Byleth could hear her trying to steady her breathing, a clear sign that she was in over her head. They were pretty sure all of them were; this was all happening so quickly. “I will accept the former,” she said. “Thank you, Archbishop, for your consideration and swift thinking.”

Rhea smiled again. “I am glad to hear it,” she said. Then, she turned her gaze to Byleth once more.

“I have heard much about your skill on the battlefield, Byleth,” she said. “The Ashen Demon… and capable of leading troops too, it seems. Due to the unfortunate circumstances that come from the incident last night, we now happen to have a teaching vacancy. How would you feel about filling it?”

“I-” They didn’t want to accept, not really, but they felt like they didn’t get much of a choice.

“Of course, you will have to pick the class that Edelgard is not a part of,” she said, and then she smiled at them in a way that looked kind but not quite  _ right.  _ “She will be in the Black Eagles class, as someone originally from the Empire.”

“I don’t see the logic in this,” Edelgard said, cutting in. Rhea’s sharp gaze fixed on her once more. “I’m a mercenary alongside Byleth. We fought  _ together _ in that skirmish.” Never mind the fact that the skirmish wasn’t even challenging and showed exactly nothing about Byleth’s ability to lead. Or teach, for that matter.

“There is a free space in the Black Eagles class,” Rhea said, her voice firm enough that Byleth knew that answering no wasn’t really an option. “So, Byleth. You’ve met the leaders of the Blue Lions and Golden Deer house. Which will you choose?”

They didn’t know, in all honesty. Dimitri seemed a sincere, capable young man, while Claude was decidedly interesting. He had a sharp eye and a sharp mind, and either seemed like they’d be engaging to teach. If they were going to teach, they’d have to make it at least entertaining. 

Unable to think of an answer, they looked to Edelgard. “The Golden Deer,” she suggested, knowing exactly what their problem was. “I think I know Dimitri, somehow.” Her face looked a little troubled as she spoke, as if she didn’t quite remember. That was unusual, for Edelgard. “But I don’t know Claude. I’d like to.”

That was Edelgard disguising what she really meant: she wanted Byleth to tell her what Claude was like. She wanted to know about him, find out what made him tick. Edelgard may no longer be a princess, but Byleth was fully aware that she had a mind for politics like nothing else.

“I’ll teach the Golden Deer, then,” they said.

Rhea’s smile was, again, unsettling. Maybe they just weren’t used to it. “I’m glad to hear it. Lead them well, Professor.”

* * *

“Oh, you want to teach us, Professor?” Claude asked. There was a glint in his eyes as he examined Byleth’s face.

“I do,” they said. “I’m taking over teaching your class from the mock battle onwards.”

“Ah, I see!” he said. “Well, I’m looking forward to getting to know you this year, then. And the mysterious disappearing princess, of course.” His tone was cheerful, almost playful, and Byleth felt that Edelgard’s decision was correct - Claude was one to watch.

“You can get to know us both on the battlefield,” they said. Their arrival coincided with the end of classes for the moon, which meant that the teaching part of their new role would come after their first opportunity to direct the students in battle.

It was to be a mock battle - small groups only, with no real chance of serious injury. It was meant to judge the skills of students as they started their time at the Academy, and it was definitely something Byleth was keen to start with.

Edelgard, however, didn’t seem so pleased. As the three classes made their way out to the field the battle would take place in, she came up next to Byleth to grumble to them. “I don’t want to fight you,” she said.

“It’s just a game,” they reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.

“I know,” she said. “It seems so pointless, though. If this school really was about training people to defend against potential threats to Fódlan, we wouldn’t fight each other. We’d fight bandits, or at the very  _ least  _ group up based on skill to know how best to work together.”

“I’m sure we’ll do that in future,” they said. Edelgard looked at them, catching sight of the amusement in their eyes, and then nodded.

“If you think so,” she said. “But I’ll maintain that I cannot be at my best fighting alongside people I barely know.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be fair for us to fight together,” they said. “It would condemn the other classes to losing before the battle even began.”

Edelgard tipped back her head in a laugh. “You’re right,” she said. “Well, even with my complaints, I won’t back down easily. You should be ready to lose.”

Byleth nodded in reply, and they went their separate ways to get into position.

When the battle commenced, it wasn’t long before they came up against each other. It was nearly impossible to avoid the fray of the classes clashing with one another, weapons and colours jumbled up in the centre of the field.

Byleth’s eyes met Edelgard’s determined gaze, and they ducked into a fighting stance once more. They were ready.

* * *

When Edelgard joined their mercenary group, she was very much a beginner when it came to fighting. Nobles tended to train their children with only the most basic of weaponry; enough for drills and self defence, but no more.

Edelgard had a moderate proficiency in the dagger. “But I don’t want to use it,” she said. Byleth had seen the dagger in question; it was Faerghan in style, with an embellished handle. They couldn’t blame her for not wanting to use it unless she had to.

“How about you take up the axe?” one of the mercenaries suggested. There was laughter in her tone; Edelgard was tiny, there was no way that the axe would be the best weapon for her. The bow, perhaps, or the sword.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Edelgard said, studiously ignoring the laughter that exploded around her.

After that, Byleth and Edelgard fought each other every day. Edelgard came on leaps and bounds within weeks, and it turned out she  _ was  _ suited to the axe. Within a year, she could heft a steel axe over her head and she could hold a candle to some of the less experienced fighters in their mercenary group.

It was a long time before she managed to beat Byleth, but in that time they learned each other back to front. Byleth learned that Edelgard was cautious with the way she spread her weight and how she lunged; it was difficult to knock her off balance. In turn, Edelgard learned how Byleth preferred short, sharp thrusts, but flagged as battles drew on.

They knew each other’s fighting styles better than they knew anything else. Sparring with each other was nothing short of routine, and it was as natural as breathing for the both of them.

* * *

Byleth danced right, while Edelgard struck left. “You missed,” she said, laughter in her tone. Byleth frowned, trying again.

The rest of the battle around them faded away as Byleth focused solely on Edelgard. If they could take her down, they were sure they had the rest of the battle in hand. Edelgard was, as always, a challenge; she was strong, and fairly swift, though she couldn’t match Byleth’s speed. If they could just keep going, continue to avoid her blows…

An arrow whistled past their ear, striking Edelgard square in the shoulder. It was blunt enough that it didn’t sink in, merely catching on her clothes, but Edelgard knew the rules of the game. She glanced over Byleth’s shoulder, and when they looked back, Claude grinned at them, spinning another arrow in his left hand.

“Sorry to ruin your fun,” he said, “but it looked like you wouldn’t object to me lending a hand.”

They shot him a nod and turned back to Edelgard, who frowned. “I would have had you!” she objected.

“But you didn’t get me,” they replied, “and now you’re going to lose.”

Sure enough, the Black Eagles were first out of the competition, shortly followed by the Blue Lions. The Deer cheered as Leonie landed the final blow, but Byleth could only take a moment to congratulate them. Instead, their eyes were drawn to the Black Eagles group, where Ferdinand and the dark-haired figure who’d approached them before were clearly angry.

They ended up swept along by the force of their students’ cheer for the next few hours; they walked back to the main portion of the monastery and shared an evening meal with them. Occasionally, they caught glimpses of Edelgard, always accompanied by at least one of the two they saw earlier. Each time, Byleth didn’t catch the words they shared, but they could see from Edelgard’s face that feelings ran high.

Once the day was over, they finally managed to slip away and speak to her again. “Is something the matter with your classmates?” they asked. They weren’t sure of any other way to phrase it - something seemed undeniably wrong.

“You could say that,” Edelgard replied, lips pursed. “They are… Hubert and Ferdinand are people I have known since childhood. Hubert in particular was a- a close friend, so to speak. But they’re very different to the people I remember.”

“That’s only normal,” they said. In truth, they’d known the same people for most of their life, but they imagined it would be true. People changed over time.

“I know,” Edelgard said, a note of frustration clear in her tone. “I just feel my mind may be playing tricks on me. I know these people, or some of them. Others are strangers to me. But even those who were once familiar now live completely different lives and treat me in a new way. And Dimitri…”

She sighed and trailed off. Byleth looked at her questioningly. “What about Dimitri?” they asked. Since the moment they’d locked eyes, something was off between the two of them.

“I know him,” she said with a grimace. “At least, I should, but I don’t know  _ how.  _ It feels like he knows me, too, but he hasn’t explained anything. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“We’ll figure it out,” they said firmly, reaching to put a hand on her shoulder. Edelgard looked up at them and offered a small smile. “Together.”


	3. Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first proper month of classes, and Byleth finds that while they settle in quite quickly, Edelgard is having difficulties.

Once classes started, Byleth found that they quite liked being a teacher. It was fun, almost, to impart the knowledge they’d once seen as second nature to people who didn’t have it.

Their students were a lively bunch, full of very different perspectives on life and experiences that they brought to the classroom. Working out how best to teach them was a thought that consumed their mind even outside of lessons, and it didn’t take long for Edelgard to notice.

“I wish I could have the same opportunity you did,” she grumbled, seating herself heavily on the bench across the table from Byleth. It was lunchtime, one of the only times during the day they saw that much of each other. “You seem to be having a lot more fun than I am.”

They nodded. “I don’t know what to suggest,” they admitted. “You can’t exactly just become a teacher.”

“I would have said the same about  _ you,”  _ Edelgard complained. “Someone can’t just appear at an important academy and pick up a job. Unless they’re you, apparently, because you waltzed in and were offered the job when I was right there. I could do it just as well.”

They shrugged. It was a complaint they’d heard from Edelgard several times already, and they didn’t imagine it would vanish any time soon. “Maybe it’s because you’re younger than me?” they suggested.

Edelgard scoffed. “It’s politics, plain and simple,” she said. “I can’t be a teacher, I was  _ meant  _ to lead a country.” As she spoke, she glanced over at the table where several of the Black Eagles sat. Byleth looked with her, and as they did, Caspar waved.

“Edelgard!” he called. “Come and join us today?” Edelgard huffed and turned away, and Caspar’s posture wilted a little.

“Why don’t you want to get involved with them?” they asked. They liked that Edelgard came to sit with them, sure, but that didn’t mean they didn’t want her to make other friends. They’d be much happier seeing  _ her  _ happy in this situation.

“They just think of me as the failed Imperial princess,” she spat. “They want to know what happened to make that all end, and they don’t seem to understand why I don’t want to share that with them.”

Byleth frowned. In their mind, there was no reason why Edelgard couldn’t have a friendship with the Black Eagles. They seemed like good kids; surely if she told them to drop it, they would. There must have been something else, but Edelgard clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

So they nodded and let the topic drop. There was no use in making her more uncomfortable or miserable just for the sake of their own curiosity, and if Edelgard wanted to avoid her classmates then that was her business. Not theirs.

* * *

A few weeks into teaching, Edelgard greeted them at lunch with a question. “Could you tell me about your students?” she asked. “I’d like to know more about them.” For a moment, they thought about asking why, but they knew what the answer would be - she was curious.

“Well, Claude is the house leader,” they said. “He’s very intelligent, but mostly when it comes to book smarts. I assigned him to a chore the other day and he had no idea how to clean out a horse stable. Hilda is a character; strong, but equally committed to doing as little as possible. She has Lorenz under her spell, but I don’t think he realises it - he has an eye for politics, but he’s a little…”

“I am aware,” Edelgard said with a short laugh. “He’s flirted with me too.”

“They’re all a very mixed bag,” they said. “Lysithea is young, but very dedicated. Her intelligence and work ethic are astounding, and I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of one of her spells. Raphael and Leonie have a similarly outrageous work ethic, but Raphael’s rests mostly in training while Leonie has more of a mixed bag of talents.”

“I believe she mentioned to me that she knew your father,” Edelgard said. Byleth nodded; Leonie had mentioned it a handful of times, and it was clearly a source of motivation for her.

“They met a long time ago,” they answered. “Before you knew us, even. He means a lot to her, I think.” Edelgard nodded, and they continued. “The last two students in the class are Ignatz and Marianne. Ignatz is a perfectly respectable student, but he lacks confidence in his own abilities. Marianne is much the same, but she struggles even more to connect to others.”

“It sounds like you know them well,” Edelgard said, and they couldn’t help but smile at that. They supposed they did, really; they cared about knowing their students and being able to teach them as best they could. Knowing their personalities was just an inevitable part of that. “You’re very committed to them for someone who hasn’t known them long.”

They nodded. They didn’t know if that was a bad thing, exactly, but they felt strongly about it nonetheless. More strongly than they felt about most things, honestly, unless it came to protecting Edelgard. “If I taught you, you’d still be my favourite,” they said.

Edelgard laughed. “You don’t need to worry about that,” she said. “I know.” Edelgard’s confidence, at least, made a difference from a lot of their students. “I’m glad you’re attached to them. Though I must admit, I  _ am  _ curious about Claude. Did you know he only inherited his position last year?”

“I did,” they replied. They’d heard as much from Lorenz, who clearly wasn’t pleased about the upset in power balance. “I don’t know much more.”

“Ah, a shame,” she said. “I was curious to know where specifically he came from. Crested heirs don’t tend to pop up out of nowhere.”

“Unless they’re you or Claude,” they pointed out.

“Touche,” Edelgard said with a laugh. “But you really know nothing? Not even, say, his aims as a ruler?”

For someone who had spent years outside of the Adrestian court and told Byleth frequently that she hated it, Edelgard sure was interested in the politics of other countries. “Nothing,” they answered. “He doesn’t talk about it, and I’m not going to ask if he won’t volunteer the information himself.”

“Fair enough,” she replied. “I suppose I’ll have to find out myself.”

“What about your classmates?” they asked. “How do you feel about them?”

Edelgard let out a long, heaving sigh, and Byleth almost wished they hadn’t asked. They wanted to know, of course, but every time her classmates were so much as mentioned, Edelgard seemed to take a heavy weight upon her shoulders. “They’re a chore,” she said. “Ferdinand is full of himself and Hubert seems to think I’ve personally slighted him. The pair of them are far closer than I remember, too, which can’t mean anything good.”

“They don’t seem like they’d get on,” Byleth noted. From the brief impression they’d received of both of them, it seemed like they were as different as two young noblemen could be. Ferdinand getting on with someone like Lorenz made far more sense.

“Well, they do,” she said. “In fact, they all seem to get on fairly well. Bernadetta is just as timid as I remember, but she’ll at least give the others the time of day. She’ll even listen to  _ Hubert,  _ but she’s terrified of me.” Byleth chose not to point out that Edelgard could, on occasion, be decidedly intimidating.

“Linhardt is the house leader, but I have no idea how. It’s all regional politics and how the cards have fallen, but the idea of power passing to  _ him  _ in the future… Ah, well. It’s not like anyone will hear a word against him, least of all Caspar.”

That  _ was _ interesting. Linhardt was a student through and through, of course, and Byleth had seen him several times in the library at hours he really should have been in bed, but they didn’t get the impression he worked on his classes with quite so much dedication. “No one will criticise him?”

“Well, that’s not quite true,” Edelgard admitted. “Dorothea regularly rips into him, but she does the same for pretty much everyone. I thought she was quite taken with me, but then we got into a conversation about the management of Enbarr and it turns out she has rather strong opinions on arts funding. I think Petra may be the only person she’s consistently sweet with.”

“Why do you think that is?” they asked. Maybe they didn’t strictly need to  _ know _ all this information, but… they were curious, they supposed. They wanted to know about the people Edelgard spent half her waking hours with.

“Oh, that’s simple,” Edelgard replied. “The Empire’s nobles have wronged Petra, and they’ve wronged Dorothea. There’s a camaraderie of sorts between them, though Petra seems happy to be friends with everyone.”

“The opposite of you,” they commented.

Edelgard hummed. “I suppose so,” she said. “I have no reason to be friends with any of them, and no interest in it either.” As she spoke, she looked down at her now-empty plate. “I didn’t think I’d ever interact with people from the Empire like this again, nor did I ever wish to.”

* * *

“I don’t think this one would be a good fit,” Edelgard said firmly. She’d been with the company for over a year now, and Byleth knew their father counted her as someone who’d be around permanently. As such, he tended to consult her when it came to recruitment decisions. “He’s too lazy, and the way he riled up some of the more established members means he probably won’t fit long term.”

“But we haven’t recruited someone this good with a bow in years,” Jeralt said. “He flirted with one of the men, that’s all. Sure, that meant he set a bad impression, but it’s not like it can’t be rectified.”

“And what of other people he encounters?” Edelgard asked. “If he gets off on the wrong foot with an employer, or someone who is vital to our job, then there’s no chance to rectify that bad impression.”

“I think you’re overthinking it,” Byleth said, and their words were answered by Edelgard’s scowl.

Jeralt laughed and leaned in to ruffle Edelgard’s recently cut hair. She scowled at him, too. “I think Byleth is right. Sorry, Edelgard. You’re right that he got off to a bad start with some of the men, but we have to trust in his skills. Skills pay much better than a stick up someone’s ass.”

“I do  _ not _ have a stick up my ass,” Edelgard complained. “But fine. Just see us lose jobs to his need to flirt with every attractive man in his range of vision.”

In the end, they did lose a few jobs to the man’s slick tongue, but they also gained far more due to the balanced nature of their band. Edelgard crowed when she was right, but let it pass every time she was wrong, and life moved on. Jeralt - and everyone in the mercenary band - learned to listen to her, but always with a pinch of salt when it came to judgements.

* * *

At the end of the month, Byleth was sent with the rest of their class to deal with a bandit problem. They were the same group as the ones who’d attacked the students just outside Remire Village, though there was an urgency to the order that unnerved Byleth just a little.

What unnerved them more, however, was the implication left behind by the bandits’ leader. “We were just ordered to- wipe one of the brats out,” the man said, before he collapsed onto the ground.

Byleth felt no sadness watching him go, unlike the feelings of many of their students during that battle. He would have killed them all if he had the chance, after all. “What do you mean?” they asked, their sword at the man’s throat. But he was already gone.

The implication remained, however. The distinct impression that there was a  _ purpose  _ to that attack the month before. These bandits had been ordered to take a student out. And it wasn’t a specific student, either - just ‘a student’. It could have been Dimitri, or Linhardt. It could have been Claude.

What kind of assassination called for ‘anyone will do’? Byleth couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to this. Something to do with the Academy, or maybe even the Church itself. But they didn’t know anything else, nor could they find anything with the bandit having died with the knowledge.

“And that’s the problem,” they explained later that night. Edelgard sat at their desk while they took the bed; technically, Edelgard should have been in bed herself, but Byleth wasn’t her teacher and they had no real power over her decisions. If she wanted to hear how the day went, she would.

“Hmm,” Edelgard said, a thoughtful frown on her face. “That’s definitely difficult, but I can’t even begin to think of what it could mean. Someone who wants to see Fódlan destabilised, perhaps, but beyond that…”

“It can’t be anyone from a particular nation,” they reasoned. “They wouldn’t want their own heir dead, but equally they wouldn’t want a potential ally from another nation dead.”

“It could have been Ferdinand’s father,” Edelgard suggested. “If the Alliance or Kingdom lose someone, the Empire can only gain.”

“But wouldn’t it be Linhardt’s father who benefitted from that?” they asked. In all honesty, the inner workings of politics baffled them. It was far more Edelgard’s speed.

“Perhaps,” she said. “But perhaps whoever it was thinks the Hevrings will be easy to get out of the way when needed. Or maybe they want more pressure on them, to force them to hand more power over.”

“Basically, we don’t know,” they said. Edelgard looked at them and sighed.

“Yes,” she admitted, “I really don’t know. But in the end…” She looked over to the window; not at anything, because it was too dark outside, but more out into the expanse of the night beyond.

“In the end?”

“Well, it’s not our problem,” she said briskly. “We aren’t at risk in whatever this feud is. We’ve never been targeted. So beyond your duty to protect your students, this is none of our business. We’re not here to see the Church rise or fall, nor any nation or people. We’re just here.”

“Maybe,” they said, but it didn’t sit right with them. Yes, maybe they had no part in this. But they’d been drawn into it by that night in Remire, and Byleth didn’t think they were going to get out of it that easily.


	4. Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's trouble in the Empire. By all accounts, it shouldn't be the Church's problem and definitely shouldn't be Edelgard's problem - but Byleth ends up involved anyway.

“So the problem is at Fódlan’s Fangs?” they asked. It was a region they’d been to before, once or twice, but in general people tried to keep armed forces out of the area. After the war with Dagda and Brigid, no one wanted to be seen stirring anything up.

“Yes,” Seteth said. “We received reports from the local lord that there was significant disturbance in the area. Missing cattle, burned crops, and evidence of soldiers from Brigid in the region too. It is most concerning.”

“And this is the Church’s problem?” There was much they knew about the world compared to their students, but when it came to matters of the Church they didn’t know a thing. How they were linked in any way to the southwestern Empire escaped them entirely.

“Yes,” he replied, his voice clearly holding some kind of judgement. “The Empire cannot deal with a problem like this on their own. There’s a split in power which makes them vulnerable to such attacks, particularly when they come externally from places like Brigid.”

Here, Seteth’s gaze shifted to Petra. Petra looked up at him, her eyes full of something Byleth couldn’t quite decipher. Of course; that was why she was even here. Except… “Do you think Petra has anything to do with this?” they asked.

Seteth looked back at them. “Not exactly,” he said. “Not certainly, anyway.”

Byleth frowned. “She’s been here the whole time.”

“Yes!” Petra said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began. “I have had no contact with the people of Brigid since I came to the Empire many years ago. I have nothing to do with this.”

“Perhaps,” Seteth said, and now his face softened. It reminded Byleth a little of the way he looked at Flayn. “Unfortunately, that’s not what some people in the Empire think. They’ve asked us to keep an eye on you and keep the possibility of your involvement in mind for now.”

“I have done nothing!” she objected.

“Then surely there is no problem with you continuing as before,” Seteth replied. At this, Petra nodded.

Byleth looked helplessly between the two of them. This was clearly, patently unfair. There was no way Petra was involved, but because someone from the Empire thought she could be…

They wished there was something they could do. But Petra wasn’t their student, nor did they hold any power over the people in the Empire who might suspect her. All they could do was encourage her if the moment arose, and defend her where they could.

“You will lead your students to deal with the issue at the end of the month,” Rhea said. Her tone was careful, even, and she didn’t even stop to look at Petra. “You have until then to prepare.”

* * *

It hung over them for the whole moon, to say the least. The Black Eagles were noticeably tense; Byleth saw almost all of them up at all hours at some point over the next few weeks, and most of them spent long periods of time in the training grounds.

It had to be hard, seeing their home affected like this. Byleth had been aware of disturbances in the Empire, because of course they had, but they’d never thought much about what it would be like to be helpless to change anything. They’d always been the person doing that changing, sword in hand and Edelgard at their side.

But these students? They couldn’t go out and stop it. They couldn’t put a halt to the suffering or the fighting. Their parents squabbled while they bantered about textbooks and homework, and the people of the Empire starved when trade routes were cut off by feuds. They clearly felt guilty, but there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

On the twenty second day of the moon, Dorothea approached them at the end of the school day. "I want to talk to you about Edie," she said. Behind her, Bernadetta hovered nervously, casting glances to the side every time she so much as breathed.

"What's the problem?" they asked with a frown. "I'm Edelgard's friend, not her teacher."

"I know," Dorothea said. "But this isn't about school or anything close to it. You know it's Edie's birthday today?"

"I did, yes," they said. Edelgard didn't celebrate her birthday; she always said there was no point in it, as the family she used to celebrate it with were no longer around her and she preferred to commemorate something that actually meant something within her life.

'Everyone has a birthday,' she'd told them, once, 'but not everyone has a day when they broke free from everything constraining them. I'd rather commemorate the latter.'

"Well, we tried to throw her a party," Dorothea explained. "She… she's unhappy in this situation. We all see it, of course, and we thought maybe we could help her feel more at home." There was such a sad look on her face as she spoke. Edelgard's firm rejection of the students of her house barely made sense.

That said... "You used knowledge of Edelgard from her shared past with some of her classmates to surprise her with a party?" they asked. They knew Edelgard well enough to know that couldn't have gone down well.

Bernadetta nodded her head rapidly. "She didn't like it at all!" she said, and there was a shakiness to her tone that told Byleth she was probably close to tears. "She just walked straight out of the room without a word."

"We only wanted to make her happier here," Dorothea continued. "I know she feels distant from us, but I wanted to change that."

"She probably doesn't want to feel more at home here," they explained. Edelgard was, perhaps more than anything else, a stubborn individual. She'd decided that this was the wrong place for her to be, so she wasn't going to like it. Any attempt to change that wasn't going to make her feel any better.

"Ah yes," Dorothea said, her gaze icy. "She's found someone she likes better, of course."

"She has," they agreed. There was no denying it, and no  _ point  _ denying it - Dorothea would see right through them regardless. "That's why she didn't appreciate your attempt at dredging up the past. She doesn't want those old connections."

"Hmm," Dorothea said, her lips pursed. "Either way, many people in our class worked hard on preparing that party. We got  _ Hubie  _ in the kitchen to bake something! Bernie made some bunting. We even got Lin to make an effort, and she just turned her nose up at it. If you can talk to her about it, I think she should apologise for hurting people."

Byleth sighed. "There's nothing I can do about it," they said. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Edelgard's teacher nor her employer. I cannot get her to do something she doesn't want to do - especially when it's about something like this."

"Well," Dorothea said. She didn't look pleased at all. "It was worth asking you, I suppose. Good day, Professor." With that, she turned on her heel and swept out of the room once more. Bernadetta hesitated for a moment, but then reconsidered whatever it was she was planning to say, disappearing a moment later.

Byleth surveyed the empty room with their eyes, half hoping the answer would pop out to them. In a way, they agreed - if the Black Eagles had put their effort into something with such obviously good intentions, Edelgard shouldn't have swept it all under the rug. At the same time, they clearly didn't know her, and Edelgard couldn't exactly be blamed for reacting poorly to that.

It was tricky. They understood the sentiment, of course, and they appreciated the genuine kindness the Eagles seemed to want to treat Edelgard with. The only problem was getting Edelgard to accept it in return.

* * *

"Byleth," Edelgard said in way of greeting that evening. She barely even waited for them to answer her knock before she entered the room and sat herself down heavily at their desk. "I have… a request."

They frowned. "What is it?" they asked. Normally, Edelgard was so independent that they didn't even hear about half her aims until she accomplished them. "Is something wrong?"

"It's about Petra," she said. "She's under suspicion over everything going on in the Empire right now. Someone thinks she must have something to do with this, but I… it's just not her style. She works hard and she doesn't hide in the shadows."

"I know," they said. “I believe her.”

"Good," she replied. "So you'll agree, then? You'll help clear the suspicion she's been put under?"

Byleth thought for a moment about Edelgard's insistence that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her classmates. "So you  _ do  _ care about them," they said, smiling at her.

"I- this is serious, Byleth!" she objected, the tiniest of blushes rising to her cheeks. They just looked at her. "I spoke to Linhardt, and he says that there's been talk of recalling her to the capital to keep an eye on her. It wouldn't be fair, not when she works so hard."

"I can't promise anything," they said, "but I'll do what I can."

* * *

"I understand your concern," Rhea said. Her expression was that carefully neutral but still smiling one she often seemed to have; a little unnerving, but not for any particularly good reason. "Miss Macneary is not a bad student, nor has she shown herself to be untrustworthy. I can offer you a chance to clear her name, if you would like to take it."

"I would," they said.

"Wonderful," Rhea replied. "Truly, it is heartening to see your concern for all the students of the Academy. If you are willing to aid Miss Macneary, then I would ask you to lead the Black Eagles house at the end of this month. If you can lead them against these insurgents in the west, I will personally vouch for Miss Macneary's character."

Byleth nodded. It wasn't… ideal, so to speak, but it was something. There was a difference between loyalty to a system and striking down your own people when they stood against it; they'd never been in such a position, but they knew that what they were asking Petra to do was a lot.

But they'd been put in quite a situation. If they refused after being offered, it could only put their own belief in Petra in doubt. So they had to go and do it just as Rhea asked, or they wouldn't be able to fulfil Edelgard's wish or clear Petra's name.

It wasn't the best solution. But if it was the only one, they'd take it.

* * *

At the end of the month, Byleth took the Black Eagles down to the coast. It was a long, tense journey; they travelled by horseback, but the going was rough, the roads in disrepair.

There were clear signs of discontent almost everywhere they passed. Villagers shuttered their windows at the first sign of the Church's banner, and pulled children indoors as they went. Byleth obtained, time and again, the undeniable sense that something was  _ wrong  _ here. Something no one wanted to talk about and definitely something no one would let them hear about, agents of the Church as they were.

It had Byleth wondering: had something happened here? How had the Church, so beloved in the centre of Fódlan, fallen out of favour here?

As they got closer and closer to the coast, a fog descended around them. It was thick, unnatural; fog didn't settle on regions like this in the middle of the day. The sun shone brightly above them only minutes before, and it should have burned away anything like this. Something was wrong.

They were almost onto the beach by the time they managed to spot the ocean. They couldn't see very far, and it blended into the grey of the sky, but Byleth didn't miss the way Edelgard froze on her horse beside them.

* * *

"Do you  _ need  _ to know?" Edelgard asked. She stood a short distance from the edge of the pier, very clearly right in the middle of the outcropping. Try as they might, no one could persuade her to get any closer to the water.

"I suppose not," Jeralt admitted. He looked between Edelgard, the boat, and Byleth. He sighed. "It's alright to be scared of the water, kid, but you're in good hands. I can't even count the number of times I've been in a boat, and it's never gone wrong. I know what I'm doing."

Byleth happened to know this was a lie. They'd been on a boat with their father when it ran aground on some rocks, forcing them all to swim to the shore. But that wasn't the point of all of this.

The point was that they needed to cross a stretch of sea to get to the objective of their job, and then cross back again once it was done. It was a short trip at most, but Edelgard wouldn't get on the boat. All she did was stare at the sea, fear in her eyes and a quake in her limbs.

"You probably only don't remember the number of times because you were drunk," Edelgard grumbled, and Jeralt laughed.

"Perhaps," he said. Again, he looked between the mercenaries waiting on the boat and Edelgard, still with her feet rooted stubbornly to the ground. "Fine, you win. Stay here with her, Byleth, and maybe try and find our next job. We'll be faster without you if this is how you feel about the sea all the time."

"It is," Edelgard said firmly, and when Byleth stepped away from the boat, she practically fled down the pier and onto fully dry land.

Jeralt chuckled. "Make sure she's okay, By," he said.

* * *

The individuals they were looking for were on the beach. There was a small camp of soldiers from Brigid, their position marked mostly by the Empire's flag turned upside down.

Well, if they needed any signal that these were the insurgents they had been tasked with taking out, that was probably it.

The battle wasn't long. Within minutes, Bernadetta landed a shot on a mage dressed head to toe in black, and the fog around them dissipated instantly. The remaining soldiers charged with reckless abandon, clearly hoping to take them out all in one go.

Commanding the Black Eagles was difficult, in all honesty - much harder than balancing the personalities of the Golden Deer - but they all had enough military training that the soldiers of Brigid stood no chance.

Byleth tried to keep Petra back from the front lines, but in all honesty there was nothing to be done. The truth of it was that they needed each one of the students available to them to prevent any injuries that were too grievous, and that meant they had to direct her against people she would one day have ruled.

They hated seeing it. They could do nothing but turn their eyes away when Petra's sword struck true; anything to not see the regret clear on her face. As they approached the commander, his gaze turned undeniably towards Petra. "It's all a lie," he said. Petra nodded. "They will take everything from you."

She nodded again. "This may be the case," she said. "But I have not been given an option. I fight here and live another day, or I forsake my chance to grant Brigid the freedom we deserve."

"You will not get it," the man said. Petra put her sword through his chest. The battle ended, and no one said a word.

Byleth almost felt overcome with the desire to take Petra into their arms, but they knew it wouldn't mean anything. It would be a cold comfort and not entirely welcome.

A heavy weight settled in Byleth's stomach on the ride back to the monastery. It was clear as day that none of their students were happy with what had happened here. The final words of all those people echoed in their mind - and surely the minds of all the Black Eagles - over and over as they continued through the unkempt paths and deserted towns.

_ It's all a lie. They will take everything from you.  _ It was obvious the words referred to the Church, but how? What had happened to these people, to create this new truth for them? It sounded like a betrayal had occurred, but what was it?

Byleth wanted to know, but yet again the end had come before they could find out the truth. Another loose end fell into the dirt, and they couldn't tie it off on their own.

It was a question they carried in their chest for the rest of the journey, but they knew they couldn't discuss it out in the open. While all the students were quiet, that didn't necessarily mean they all disagreed with what had been done. No one wanted to say a word, just in case.

Maybe it was their presence that did that. Maybe the students  _ blamed  _ them - and Byleth couldn't fault them for that. It was their actions that brought them all here, after all.

Knowing they had something on their mind, when they returned to the monastery and turned in their report on the events at the coast, Edelgard followed them back to their room. "That was terrible," she said, speaking the moment the door closed behind her. "It's been a long time since I saw a sight that awful."

"It was unfair," they agreed. "But we… there wasn't anything we could do. We had to prove Petra's innocence, and this was the only option offered to me. I hope she'll be safe after this."

"I would imagine so," Edelgard said. "The Archbishop seemed pleased with the report you offered."

"A small mercy," they agreed with a sigh. They'd achieved their aims, but... "My father warned me to be careful when we were here," they said. Edelgard nodded. "Now I'm starting to see why." In the last couple of moons, there'd only been a handful of things that could be described as anywhere close to concerning. But now...

"I wonder if there's anything to be done," Edelgard mused.

"Is standing up to the Church ever going to be feasible?" Byleth asked. There was a lot they didn't know about the Church or how it functioned, and while it had almost entirely been kept separate from their life until now, that didn't mean it wasn't everywhere. Especially somewhere like Garreg Mach, its heartland. Challenging the principles or views here probably wouldn't land them anywhere they wanted to be.

"I don't think so," she said. "A knight of Seiros would never hear a bad word about the Archbishop, and I don't imagine any of the monks would. If you went to one of the regional Churches, they might hear you, but acting on it..."

"There's nothing we could even ask them to do," they said. "The moon is over, and the task is done. I had to ask Petra to kill her countrymen, and she had to do it. There's nothing that can be done to undo that."

"I suppose," Edelgard said with a sigh. "I wish it hadn't come to this. I wish there was something  _ I  _ could have done."

"There wasn't," they reassured, but Edelgard shook her head.

"You don't… ugh." Edelgard stood from the chair and swept out of the door without another word. Byleth had no idea what she'd wanted to say, or what was on her mind. Whatever it was it couldn't be good, and they could only hope Edelgard wouldn't hold herself too harshly to it.

They almost laughed into the empty room. That was rich; of course she'd hold herself to whatever thought was on her mind. That was just how Edelgard was, and the best thing they could do was help her through it - whatever it was.


	5. Doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With all these mysteries stacking up around them, Edelgard wonders if she never should have left the Empire in the first place.

Beyond the doubt that the uprising and the Church's response introduced to them, another problem stood out from the events of the end of the moon: the plot on the Archbishop's life.

From the moment Byleth delivered their report on the note found on the body of that black-clothed mage, the monastery was on high alert. They hadn't known it was possible for more knights to show up, but it clearly was - there were more around than ever before, a knight at every corner checking to make sure no one who wasn't meant to be there got in.

But Byleth… honestly, Byleth wasn't convinced that the knights had the right idea. There was something about the whole scenario that seemed fishy: warriors of Brigid resisting fruitlessly against the might of the Church, in such a small group yet making so many waves that it  _ couldn't  _ be said they were trying to keep things under the radar, the black robed figure, the message that stated the aim to kill the Archbishop so clearly.

"I smell a rat," Claude told them at lunch, barely days into the moon. They nodded, shifting up in their seat to make room for him. Edelgard squinted at him across the table, but didn't say anything about it. "You get the feeling too, right Teach? It all seems so convenient, like we were meant to put all these pieces together."

"Definitely," they said. "It adds up perfectly. The whole thing is obvious."

_ " Too _ obvious," Claude agreed.

"It could hide something else," Edelgard suggested. "They want us to be able to stop the plot against the Archbishop's life, but beyond that… there must be something else."

"But what could it be?" they asked.

"It could be a diversion tactic of sorts," Claude suggested. "With everyone's eyes on the Archbishop during the Rite of Rebirth, they'll do something else. Maybe those bandits?"

"What about them?" Edelgard asked with a frown.

"I'm glad you asked," Claude said, popping a tomato into his mouth and smiling at her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, when we fought them, they said something about needing to take one of us out. A student, I presume. It would add up, when you think about what happened when we met you at Remire. They chased the three of us - the house leaders - and they definitely weren't just after the money."

"So maybe they're coming after a student, rather than the Archbishop?" Byleth asked. If Claude had the right idea, that was decidedly concerning. With the knights focused on Rhea - with the  _ students  _ focused on Rhea - anything could happen if the right person got into the wrong place.

"I disagree," Dimitri said. "Oh, I apologise for interrupting, but I simply overheard your conversation and thought I could contribute. I don't think they're after a student's life, not when they threatened someone else's. Everyone will be on guard - at least, my classmates are, so you should direct yours to be as well."

"What would you suggest is the intent, then?" Byleth asked. Despite the months they'd already spent at the Academy, they knew shockingly little about the way Dimitri thought things through.

"I think they want to steal something," he said.

"There's nothing worth stealing more than the Archbishop's life," Edelgard pointed out. "It would throw Fodlan into chaos."

"But what if they don't want that?" Dimitri asked. "Maybe they know they  _ can't  _ get that, so they're going for something else. An object of some form, rather than a death."

"Then there are deaths other than the Archbishop's that would be valuable," Edelgard argued. "Do you realise how valuable  _ your  _ life is, Dimitri?" There was something strange to her voice, something Byleth didn't recognise.

For a moment, Dimitri paused, something akin to surprise on his face. "I am aware," he said, tone guarded, "I just don't think that's what this is, and I already explained why. You may choose not to believe me, but I will find the truth."

Claude chuckled. "Sure thing, your Highness," he said, taking a hold of Dimitri's arm. "I want to hear more about this intuition of yours. Care to take it somewhere a little quieter?"

Dimitri frowned, but eventually nodded. Edelgard's eyes followed them out of the room, and once they were gone she relaxed a little in her seat. "He puts me on edge," she admitted.

"Who, Claude?" they asked. Claude was probably exactly as sharp as he liked to let on, and that was very sharp indeed. It would make sense that Edelgard was on edge with him, as close as she liked to keep her secrets.

"Both of them," she said with a laugh, "but I actually meant Dimitri."

"Why?" they asked. Sure, he was a little bit of an enigma, but he didn't seem all that threatening to them. He was startlingly sincere, especially compared to Linhardt's bluntness and Claude's blatant but constant analysis. Then again, there was something between Dimitri and Edelgard - a tension that was present from the moment they encountered each other in Remire.

Edelgard looked down at her plate. "I knew him long ago," she said finally. "When I was a child. I didn't know at first, when I saw him, but I knew something was up. Eventually, I asked him, and he told me the truth."

The way her face twisted at that told Byleth that maybe the memories weren't happy; or maybe it was something about the truth. "How did you know him?" they asked.

"We were step siblings," she replied, an almost bitter chuckle escaping her. "I didn't know at the time. At least, I don't think I did, it's rather blurry for something that happened barely ten years ago, but-"

"But?"

"He's different from when we were children. When we were young, he was so shy, so unsure of himself. I told myself that was the reason I barely recognised him, but it seems such a drastic change. There must be something else, but perhaps..." She sighed. "Perhaps my mind is simply playing tricks on me."

"Do you think something happened?" they asked.

"To him? No," she said. "We grew up. We're different now. He's come into himself just as I did the same."

They supposed that made sense. Edelgard had changed a lot in the time Byleth had known her - when she was much younger, back when she first came to the mercenary group, she was… she didn't trust people. She'd shy away from anyone's attempt to touch her, even for just a friendly pat on the shoulder, and wouldn't let people help her with anything.

Many times, Byleth had to talk people out of an argument with her because they felt she'd been rude to them. It was easy for that to happen, in a setting where so many people expected to be familiar with others. Their mercenary group was a little like a family - or at least that was how Byleth always experienced it, as a child - so a child rejecting their attempt at aid didn't sit right with many.

Things changed, though, as she grew. Edelgard gained confidence that better matched her stubbornness, and she spent more time with others. She stayed mostly at Byleth's side and rarely interacted with people outside the mercenary group, but it was progress. It suited her better, too - her abilities weren't to be sniffed at, and her mastery of speech meant that once she started talking, people didn't tend to want her to stop.

By the last handful of months they spent as mercenaries, Edelgard had managed to gain a reputation for herself. The Crimson Striker: a force to be reckoned with on and off the battlefield. She did a fair few of their job negotiations, and more than once had intimidated people for information.

They didn't know what Edelgard was like when she was a child who knew Dimitri, but she'd surely changed a lot since then. There was little remaining of the princess who cried in Byleth's tent in the middle of the night simply because she didn't want to go home.

At the same time, though, it was clear that past weighed on her. "Are you okay with that?" they asked.

"With things being different?" Edelgard guessed. They nodded. "I suppose… not particularly. Especially given the events in the Empire last moon. It's hard to see the Empire, which shone so brightly in my youth, reduced to the whims of bickering nobles and falling into chaos at the mere mention of resistance."

They nodded. "I suppose the future will be better, though," they said. Edelgard may have never before seen the full extent of the problems in the Empire, but now she could also see the potential within the Empire's heirs.

"I don't know," Edelgard said with a frown.

"You don't know?"

"It's more..." Edelgard cast a furtive glance in the direction of the table where the other Black Eagles sat. None of them were looking over. "They are not suitable to lead the Empire. Linhardt has no desire to do so, and the others are all- well, they're all disastrous in their own way."

When they looked back over at the table, Linhardt was slumped over. Ferdinand gesticulated wildly, clearly explaining something to an obviously disinterested Hubert and Dorothea. Bernadetta was half under the table, and Caspar and Petra were trying to coax her out. They could see Edelgard's point.

"Do you regret leaving?" they asked. They knew that, at the time, staying hadn't seemed like a viable option for her, but they still didn't know exactly why. Maybe, seeing all of this, she'd changed her mind. "You could have ruled if you stayed."

"Maybe some things would have been better if I hadn't," Edelgard said. "Not that I can change it now, anyway. But if I knew what I do now... I don't know." She shook her head. "I might have stayed."

Byleth hadn't expected the admission to hurt. They'd asked knowing that the answer could be this, but they hadn't quite expected Edelgard to agree with them. The idea that Edelgard maybe thought that she should have stayed, that she would be better off if she'd never stuck by their side...

They knew that wasn't what she was getting at, though, and she wouldn't want to know the extent of their feelings. They'd asked, she answered, and they'd keep the rest of it to themselves.

They could still wish that she could feel like she'd made the right choice all those years ago, though.

* * *

"Professor, may I put a suggestion to you?" Linhardt asked as they passed the classroom doorway. Manuela wasn't in the room - that was nothing strange, considering it was a Saturday. What was more strange was the fact that all the Eagles were gathered in the doorway.

"What is it?" they asked.

"It's about the obvious fake attack that's due to happen soon," he explained. Byleth shot a glance at Edelgard; they didn't realise she was going to tell her classmates about it.

'I didn't,' she mouthed, and they nodded.

"Go on," they said.

"I think the assailants mean to use the plot to kill the Archbishop as a diversion, and then steal an item in the Holy Mausoleum."

"Ridiculous," Edelgard said. "Why would they want to go into the crypt? There's nothing there but boxes, candles, and dust."

"It's an interesting site, and  _ highly  _ restricted," Linhardt argued. "Tonight is the best night of the year to break in - it's the only time it's open."

"I think Linhardt is right," Caspar said, and Byleth saw as Edelgard rolled her eyes. Her words came back to them - Caspar would defend anything Linhardt said, apparently. "With the Archbishop on everyone's minds, who has time to guard some old boxes? Especially if they have no idea what a thief could want."

"If we don't know there's something in there, maybe the knights don't know either," Linhardt reasoned, his eyes alight. "There  _ could  _ be something, in which case the false plot against the Archbishop's life makes perfect sense."

"We don't know it's fake just yet," Edelgard argued.

"It may as well be," Ferdinand said. "There is no way any assailant could get past the full force of the knights of Seiros, not unless they brought a small army in."

"Hmm." Edelgard paused, seemingly thinking it over. "Byleth?"

They nodded. "I think Linhardt may have the right idea," they said.

Caspar pumped his fist into the air. "Of course he does!" he said. "So what about it, Edelgard? Will you help?"

Edelgard crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine," she said. "Fine. I'll help you defend the crypt."

* * *

Linhardt being correct, however, didn't answer anything; it just posed ever more questions.

Questions like the grave of Seiros, which was empty bar a sword. A sword that Claude suggested could cut through mountains, and one that Nemesis had supposedly wielded centuries ago.

The sword that appeared in Byleth's dreams, time after time. A sword they could wield - a sword  _ only  _ they could wield, because of a Crest they didn't know they had that wasn't even supposed to exist.

It didn't make sense. It didn't make a single scrap of sense, and the way Rhea looked at them when they reported the events of the evening, the look on Seteth's face when she granted permission to use it...

"I don't trust this," Edelgard said. She hadn't returned to her room after the battle, and Byleth couldn't blame her for it. The events of the evening were unnerving, and there was a lot to talk about beyond the ears of others. Instead of taking the chair at their desk, she sat next to them on the edge of the bed. "I don't  _ understand  _ it."

"Me neither," they said, their eyes finding the sword in front of them for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. It was in a more collapsed form now, but it definitely extended. It was made of a strange material, too - the same one as the Relics, apparently. "How does this even work?"

"Can I hold it?" Edelgard asked. They nodded and passed it over to her. The glow faded. "Strange. So it reacts only to you." There was an odd look in her eyes, something tentative and fragile. Byleth almost reached across the gap to her, but it vanished when she turned to face them again, returning the sword to their lap.

"Apparently," they said. "Professor Hanneman said it was my Crest."

"It must be more than that," Edelgard said. "The stone in the centre is gone, though I cannot fathom why. I didn't know Relic stones could even be removed."

"I think the Archbishop was surprised too," they said. Edelgard hadn't been there when the battle ended, but the way she'd looked at them... "She seemed pleased, I think? It's hard to tell."

"I don't know if that's a good sign," Edelgard said. They nodded. "I still don't… I don't trust her."

"I think that makes sense," they replied. "I don't think I trust her either. Especially not with all these reactions that don't make sense. There's so much unexplained here, and I know there must be  _ something  _ wrong."

"The problem is just knowing what  _ is _ wrong," Edelgard agreed. "And finding whatever that is seems next to impossible."

Byleth nodded. They frowned into the darkness; there really were no answers here. They didn't even know how they could go about finding any answers - even when dawn came, they'd be in the dark just as much as before. "Do you want to go back to your room now?" they asked.

Edelgard looked at them for a moment, seemingly studying their face. She looked worried, and they could imagine why - something had changed tonight. As the days went by, more pieces were added to a seemingly unsolvable puzzle. Who knew how many parts were still missing? "I'd rather not," she said.

"Would you rather stay here?" they asked. She nodded. "Alright."

They supposed that, for many, it would look strange that Edelgard stayed the night. But it was no different to what they used to do every night before they arrived at the monastery - Edelgard shared a room with them if they stayed in an inn, or a tent if they were out in the wilds.

Lots of things were changing, and maybe this would help Edelgard feel as if something, at least, could stay the same. They were happy to listen to her breathing even out in the darkness; it quelled the fear underlying their every thought, if only a little.


	6. Past Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussions surrounding Crests and Relics bring a previously hidden truth to light.

Whatever the Archbishop felt about the issue of the Sword of the Creator, it was clear she was aware of its strength. Within days, Byleth had a new task for the end of the next moon: take out Miklan Gautier, a man who had stolen the family's lance - a dangerous Relic. The way the issue was spoken about, Byleth presumed they weren't meant to ask many questions about it. That wouldn't stop them.

That evening at dinner, they tried the first person they could think of who would know something; Edelgard knew far more than they did about noble houses, families, and feuds. "I'm going after a man who stole the Gautier Relic at the end of the moon," they said. "Do you know anything about it?"

"I don't know the specifics," Edelgard admitted. "I don't know of him at all, actually. Do you know, Dimitri?"

Dimitri looked up from across the table. "I know a little," he said, his mouth creased into a frown. Clearly, he was bothered by this. "I'm afraid Miklan brought it on himself. He stole the Relic after being disowned by his family - he's without a Crest, so he couldn't inherit the position as Margrave Gautier. It's a shame it has to be this way, but in the end there's nothing anyone can do for him."

Edelgard frowned. "Does it have to be this way?" she asked. There was a demand in her tone, and Dimitri rose to it.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said. "Crests are, at the end of the day, power. Power is important in Gautier territory; they're constantly in conflict with their neighbours in Sreng. Sylvain undoubtedly wishes to do something about it, but before then… well, his Crest is necessary. It's Miklan's problem that he couldn't accept that."

"But does the  _ Margrave  _ have to have the Crest?" Edelgard asked. Byleth almost wanted to say something, to interject before it got too heated, but there was a fire in Edelgard's eyes that was almost unfamiliar to them. That was unusual. "Surely it could be anyone. So long as the Lance is wielded by someone, none of this should be a problem."

"Don't you think that the respect commanded by bearing a Crest is important?" Dimitri asked. "Like it or not, it is vital for a ruler."

"I don't think it should be vital," Edelgard said. "Power determined by bloodlines and the lottery of birth… it's senseless."

"If I could make it otherwise I would, but I cannot," Dimitri said firmly. "We can work with what we have, and what we have is Crests. You do have a Crest, don't you Edelgard?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped. Dimitri flinched backwards in his seat, the sheer force of her tone bringing him to a halt. "Crests shouldn't exist. They shouldn't decide anything at all. If I didn't have one, I wouldn't want one, and if I did I would wish it gone."

Dimitri pursed his lips. "I understand," he said.

"No you don't." There was something frigid to Edelgard's tone. It bordered eerily close to the way Byleth knew she reacted when someone brought up something she couldn't bear to think about. It wasn't a tone they heard often, at least not anymore.

He chuckled, sounding almost sad. "No, I suppose I don't," he said. He glanced between the two of them and stood from his seat. "I am sorry for disturbing your dinner. I hope the information I have about Miklan will prove useful." With that, he stood from his seat in one smooth movement, leaving Byleth and Edelgard behind. Half of his dinner went uneaten.

Edelgard let out a shaky breath. "I went too far, didn't I?" she asked.

Byleth hesitated, and then nodded. Dimitri hadn't known he was overstepping any boundaries of hers, and he had no way to know either. She'd snapped at him with a ferocity they weren't used to. "Are you okay?" they asked. "Is it something about Crests?"

Edelgard shook her head, paused, and then nodded. "Do you mind if we go somewhere quieter to talk about this?" she asked. "I shouldn't have kept it to myself for so long. You deserve to know."

They nodded. The pair of them finished the meal in silence, the tension of an unspoken truth hanging over their heads. Once they were done, Byleth noticed the way Edelgard's hands shook when she put her cutlery down. It clattered just a little too loudly, and Edelgard stared at it for a moment. She shook her head. "I'm alright," she said, not convincing them at all. "Let's go."

The silence as they walked to Edelgard's bedroom was equally oppressive, and once they were inside it was practically deafening. Byleth took half a seat by leaning against the edge of the desk, leaving Edelgard to pace back and forth as she worked up the nerve to speak. "I told you, when we met, that I was one of many siblings," she said, "and that I was the only one left. Correct?"

They nodded. At the time, they'd wanted to press further - especially once their father agreed that Edelgard could stay. But they hadn't, because the way Edelgard carried herself had seemed so  _ fragile.  _ Like she'd shout at you or cry - or both - if you said the wrong thing. When time went by, the reason she wanted to stay just became less relevant.

It had never faded from their mind, though, and from the look on Edelgard's face it hadn't faded from hers either. "We were experiments, I suppose you could say. Many members of my family held a minor Crest of Seiros. I am the same. They did terrible things to us, and all of my siblings died, fell ill beyond recovery, or never put their minds back together after what they saw or experienced."

Byleth nodded again. They didn't think there was anything else to say. Instead, they leaned forwards, catching Edelgard as she turned to pace another circuit of the room.

Edelgard deflated, all the tension leaking from her body. She practically fell forwards into Byleth's arms, shaking. "There was no one left," she whispered. "No one but me. All alone in a family that should have held so many more."

It made so much sense now. They'd understood before, of course, that a child who had lived through the death of her family wouldn't want to return to a hollow home or the circumstances that had caused such heartbreak. But now it was crystal clear, and something in them ached for her. Ached for everything she'd lost.

But one thing still clung to their mind stubbornly, long after Edelgard let go and asked them to give her a little privacy: even after everything she'd suffered, all the things she  _ would  _ have suffered if she'd returned to Enbarr… she still thought, on reflection, that it would have been better if she'd stayed.

Byleth didn't know what to make of that.

* * *

There was plenty about fighting Miklan Gautier that didn't feel right, especially after the revelations that came with discussing him, discussing Crests. Edelgard didn't go with them, and neither did Dimitri, nor Miklan's brother (whom they knew more from his reputation than any conversation they'd held with him). That prevented the worst of the discussions that could arise from their mission, but still...

"Idiot," Lysithea said, as the lifeless form of Miklan dropped to the ground. "Imagine throwing your life away over a Crest. No one should ever want one."

It was then that Byleth realised; maybe there was something else to those words. Lysithea was… once upon a time, Edelgard told them that her hair wasn't always white. Somehow, they got the feeling that Lysithea could be in the same position.

Whether Lysithea would confirm or deny that, however, they never got to test. As they descended the tower, lance in hand, Claude approached them. "Hey, Teach," he said. "Can I talk to you about something? I thought you might want to hear it."

With Claude, it was always important to pay attention to the words he chose - he said 'want' rather than 'like', which told them pretty much everything they needed to know about how this conversation was going to pan out. "Go ahead," they said.

Claude offered them a small, insincere smile. "Did you know that people talk a lot about you and Edelgard?" he asked.

"I gathered that they did," they admitted. People's heads tended to duck, when they passed, especially when they were with Edelgard. They weren't unused to being spoken about; the pair of them had been at least a little infamous as mercenaries.

"Well, I hear a few things," he said. "Some people say that you're a bit too close to Edelgard, actually. They think you distract her from returning to her birthright, whatever that means." He waved a hand as he spoke, but they both knew exactly what he meant.

"I don't control her," they said firmly.

* * *

"I can do this on my own," Edelgard complained. She stood at the base of a tree, staring up at the equipment that had been thrown into it the night before. They were pursuing someone who definitely, absolutely did not want to be found, and this was the only lead they had.

Edelgard had found it first. Plenty of people had found her afterwards, but she insisted that she was the one to get this down from the tree. "Can you?" Jeralt asked, the tiniest quirk of a smile on his face.

"I can," Edelgard said. And she did it, too; it took far longer than it should have, especially with everyone else standing around and willing to help her, but that didn't matter to Edelgard. She'd decided she could get something far above her down from a tree that must have been ten times her height, so she did it.

Granted, she waved sticks of various lengths in the air until the items in question dropped down, but she did it.

Despite her independence, there were always things an individual couldn't do. When Edelgard stepped up to take on a particular side job that needed to be done, Jeralt took one look at the list of objectives they were given by the employer and shook his head. "You're going to need to take care of this alongside someone else," he said.

"No," Edelgard replied firmly. "I can do this on my own, so I will. Understood?"

Jeralt looked at her, nothing short of tiredness on his face. "You don't give me orders, kid, but sure. You can do it on your own."

The moment she left the area to do the job, Jeralt turned to Byleth. "You're going to go after her, right?" he asked. They nodded; there were far more bandits on that list than Edelgard could handle on her own, especially if they got her in a tough spot.

It was a good job they did, in the end; when they followed the noise and practically sprinted into a clearing out by the den the bandits were using, Edelgard was in a bad way. She wasn't pinned, exactly, but she was gradually being pushed up against a tree with no way out. There were too many people for her to take on in one swoop; one wrong move, and she would be dead.

Byleth jumped into action, intercepting the bandits from behind. Edelgard's eyes widened when she spotted them, and once all the bandits fell under the force of their combined will, they narrowed. "You came after me," she said.

"I did," they replied. It wasn't like they could lie about it.

"Why?"

"Because you don't have to do everything on your own."

* * *

"She seems like a very independent individual," Claude said with a chuckle. He didn't know  _ how  _ independent, of course, but anyone could probably see it a mile away if they tried hard enough.

"She is," they agreed. "She does what she wants. And while that doesn't always result in exactly what other people want from her, I have no desire to change it; nor do I control it."

"Okay," he said, swinging backwards on his heels. "Look at it from the Alliance's perspective for a bit. The Kingdom is on the rise with no competitor to the south, and people are getting a little antsy on our side of the border. The Empire needs a proper ruler to challenge that; that's how things have always worked."

Byleth nodded. They'd noticed the sheer confidence of some of the Blue Lions students - Dimitri carried himself with no small amount of authority, and Ingrid undoubtedly viewed her country with pride that was maintained through her actions. "That's not Edelgard's problem, though," they pointed out.

"Sure it's not," Claude said. "But it's Linhardt's problem. And Hubert's, and Bernadetta's. It's my problem, and Lysithea's, and Hilda's. Do you get the picture?"

"I do," they replied, "but I don't see what you expect me to do about it." There was nothing they could do about the way the young man who visited the monastery that month to speak about the Gautier issue carried himself, or what he represented to the people of other countries who attended the Academy.

"I wasn't expecting you to do anything," Claude said. "I just thought it was a perspective worth considering. What do  _ you  _ think?"

They hummed, and looked down at the lance. Faerghus, a nation on the rise... "Perhaps the Empire needs someone," they agreed. "Someone steady to guide it, so things aren't plagued by internal division, or at least something to get them to the point the Alliance has reached. But that person shouldn't have to be Edelgard."

Claude nodded. "I'd agree," he said, "but Edelgard is in a pretty convenient position to be that person. Probably more convenient than anyone else. In the event that she was willing, I'd say she's pretty qualified, wouldn't you?" And with that, he left them alone at the head of the group, moving back to talk to Leonie.

He left Byleth thinking. Edelgard  _ was _ fairly qualified, and if no one else was suitable, then she was essentially the best person for it. But when they'd spoken of it, Edelgard expressed a desire to not have left - she'd said nothing about returning.

Byleth didn't know what to think, in the end. And whatever it was, they knew that now wasn't the time to discuss it with Edelgard; she had enough to think about already.


	7. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flayn goes missing, and the attempt to find her raises more issues about Edelgard's place in Fodlan.

The next moon didn't bring any reprieve from concerning questions or issues; at this point, Byleth was pretty sure it would never end. Within days of Miklan's death, Flayn disappeared.

Seteth was beside himself. From what they could gather, he'd bade his sister goodnight, and when he woke up the following morning she was gone. She'd just vanished, as if off the face of the earth itself. They scoured the entire monastery, questioned the whole town, but nothing came up. It had everyone just a little more on edge than before, and even Edelgard struggled to move around the monastery outside of lesson hours without being questioned by a knight.

As such, they had to keep their time together to daylight hours; that afternoon, they met in the Black Eagles classroom. With their own students so frequently using the Golden Deer classroom at weekends, it was the obvious place.

"Why did it have to be Flayn?" she grumbled, settling down heavily in her usual seat. They looked at her questioningly. "I was stopped three times on my way here. Three! Once at the top of the stairs, once at the bottom, and then once by someone just outside the courtyard. Why do they need to station so many knights?"

"I think they're just worried about everyone's safety," Byleth said. They'd attended the security meetings since Flayn's disappointment - the Archbishop and all of the knights were adamant that no effort should be spared to keep students safe.

"They wouldn't be so bothered if it had been someone else," she said. "Flayn is special to Seteth in a way that none of the students are. Though if these people wanted to abduct individuals from the monastery, they clearly picked exactly the wrong person."

In spite of everything, Byleth couldn't help but chuckle at that. Seteth's distress wasn't funny, but Edelgard was right; if anyone else had disappeared, a hundred other options as to why would have been considered first. "Which does beg the question as to why they took Flayn. This year alone, bandits have had more success in targeting actual students."

"If this is a directed choice, there must be some reason that it's her," they agreed. "Anyone who could arrange for her to just vanish in the middle of the night must know the monastery well. They'd know just how important she was to Seteth."

"There's something strange about her," Edelgard said. "That must be it, or at least linked to it. But what that is..."

"I don't have a clue," they admitted. They wanted to get to the bottom of this; wherever she was, Flayn could so easily be in danger right now. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, there's always… no, that's not right." Edelgard propped her chin up on her hands, examining the ceiling. Byleth doubted it had any answers for her. "No, I don't know."

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Linhardt's voice asked. Edelgard practically jumped out of her seat, spinning around to catch sight of Linhardt in the doorway; Byleth didn't know how they hadn't noticed his approach before now. "Why are you surprised? This is  _ our  _ classroom. Just because it's not a school day doesn't mean we won't see you here."

"What do you mean, it's obvious?" she asked with a frown.

"It's obvious," he repeated with a shrug. From just behind him, the rest of the Black Eagles filtered into the classroom. Byleth gained the distinct impression that this had been planned. "Flayn has been kidnapped by someone due to her Crest."

"Linhardt, not everything is about Crests," Edelgard pointed out.

"Perhaps," Ferdinand said, "but I heard him out, and I'd hazard that it's fairly likely that Linhardt is correct in this matter. Give him a chance, and you'll see."

"Thank you, Ferdinand," Linhardt said, a small, smug smile on his face. Byleth almost wanted to laugh at the sight of it. "The fact of the matter is that Flayn is in possession of a uniquely rare Crest. Major Crests are rare enough these days, but Flayn's is the major Crest of Cethleann, one that has not been recorded for perhaps hundreds of years."

"I see," Edelgard said. "And you think this is linked because...?"

"The only other interpretation anyone has posed is that Flayn ran away because Seteth is so protective of her. And  _ why  _ is he so protective, you ask? Because he knows the value of Flayn's blood." Linhardt presented it as if it was blatantly obvious; Byleth wasn't so sure, but he had a point. They didn't have much else to go on.

"Alright," Edelgard said, sitting forwards in her seat. "Suppose you're right."

"I am."

There was a definite note of frustration in Edelgard's voice when she replied. "Well,  _ supposing _ that you are, what do we do about it?"

"That is obvious," Petra said. "We find who could know about it, and how they could get into or out of the monastery."

"I already have a lead!" Caspar said. "And I talked to Felix about it, and he agreed. There's this really strange sword instructor who's basically always in the training grounds. He was recommended by Linhardt's father, though  _ I've  _ never met him before so I don't know why he would have, he totally hates fighting, and-"

"Could you  _ try  _ and get to the point, Caspar?" Hubert asked.

"Yeah, yeah, alright," he conceded, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "The point is that he's been really reckless lately. He keeps throwing matches for really strange reasons, and in the last couple days he hasn't been seen at all."

"Hm," Edelgard said. She sounded almost impressed. "That does seem suspicious. What do you think, Byleth?"

"I think that sounds like something to follow up on," they agreed. The other Eagles let out a cheer, and Edelgard… well, Byleth caught sight of a small smile on Edelgard's face.

From there, it was almost simple to piece together what had happened: the sword instructor, Jeritza, had planned something - if it was the kidnapping of Flayn or not, there was definitely something going on. When he realised the amount of security around the monastery, he became more impulsive, and eventually attracted suspicion.

In the end, it was Manuela who confronted him; and now she was nowhere to be seen. She'd last been sighted by their father, heading towards the teacher's quarters with a mask in her hands. Whatever had happened, whatever the reason for all of this, there was something fishy going on. So Byleth went into the quarters with the Black Eagles, not exactly sure what they'd find but knowing they should do it nonetheless.

Once they arrived, it was clear they couldn't delay. There was something dangerous occurring here, below the monastery itself, and Flayn was down here somewhere. That much was certain.

Byleth wasn't used to leading the Black Eagles - they'd led them only once on the field before - but there wasn't time to collect the Deer or any aid. They had to do this now, so they called to the students to get into position and just hoped that the experience they'd gathered over the last few months would be enough to carry them through.

Compared to the last time they'd led the students, the Eagles got on a lot better now. From the moment they called for them to take up their weapons and prepare for battle, a focus came over the group. Edelgard and Ferdinand took the point at each end of the formation, with Caspar and Petra just behind, taking advantage of the defence they could provide.

In the centre stood the other half of the group, magic sparking at the end of their fingertips or arrows notched ready to fire. It was almost a surprise; the last time they'd led them, their formations had been sloppy and unprepared, each wanting a different thing.

"Ferdinand, Caspar, Linhardt, you go to the right," Byleth directed. "There's some kind of magic in the floor, so watch out for that. Once we're separated, you can take command, Linhardt."

"Me?" Linhardt asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Why, Professor, it's always Edelgard who directs us in battle."

"And now I'm directing you," they replied. "I'm sure I can trust you to keep them safe, can't I?"

Linhardt met their eyes for a moment and nodded. "Of course," he said. "Come on, then. We have some shadowy figures to fight."

When they took the rest of the group left, it was Edelgard who took over. There were a fair few soldiers ahead of them, but Edelgard knew the strengths of her class. A swordsman advanced, and she pulled Bernadetta back, out of range, while spurring Petra on to cut off the next one set to charge.

It was remarkably fluid; they'd clearly come a long way in the past few moons. The Eagles were a storm, and somehow Edelgard stood at the centre of it all, directing their tempest to tear through all that stood in their way. The moment Hubert needed to take a moment, his breathing laboured after a Nosferatu to the chest, Dorothea was there to patch him up and Edelgard cut down the monk in question.

Byleth wasn't surprised, when they forced their way into a more open space, to find Caspar and Ferdinand already tearing through the enemies within. Linhardt stood a short distance away, directing them with short calls and simple sweeps of his arm. It was astounding to see, especially in comparison to the almost listless Linhardt they'd observed in that very first fight between the houses.

With the field almost entirely cleared, the mysterious kidnapper left the scene. All he left behind was Flayn, unconscious but, somehow, alive.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Seteth's thanks, Manuela's recovery, suspicion over that mystery figure and his links to Jeritza, the now-missing sword instructor, a student who vanished a year before now suddenly back with them… All of it left Byleth with a feeling distinctly similar to when they used to spin in circles on the spot as a child, waiting for the world to spin faster than they could keep up.

It wasn't until later that evening that they could finally piece their thoughts together and conclude one key thing: "I don't understand any of this," they admitted. "Flayn, abducted and returned unharmed? While Manuela was gravely injured? Monica, who was missing for a year?" They shook their head, trying and failing to clear it. There were too many moving parts. "Any thoughts, El?"

Edelgard's expression, previously fixed in a solid line as she sat in their desk chair, softened for a moment. "The Church must be hiding something about Flayn," she concluded. "There's something special about her, that much can't be doubted, but they won't say. Even though I'd hazard a guess that it'd help in protecting her."

Byleth nodded. "Though it doesn't look like you Black Eagles needed any of that help," they said. "You work very well together as a team. There's quite a bond that's formed between you, for that kind of trust to be present."

Edelgard frowned. "I suppose," she said. Her voice sounded fond, really. "Yes, perhaps you're right. I don't hate them. I like them a lot more than I did when we arrived, anyway."

"Would you..." Byleth thought of their conversation with Claude, and Edelgard's concession that maybe she shouldn't have left the Empire in the first place. "I was told, last month, that the opinion of a lot of nobles is that the Empire needs a ruler sooner rather than later. The person I spoke to suggested you. What do you think?"

Edelgard sighed. Maybe asking her wasn't a good idea, but she couldn't be  _ ignorant  _ of the way people spoke about them. It was a conversation that needed to happen sooner rather than later. "I wouldn't be averse to it," she said, and that stone that formed in their chest when she'd admitted her mistake sunk ever further. "But..."

She shook her head. "I think they have it handled," she decided, her tone clearer now. "I don't think I should go back. I've missed too many things and hurt too many people - at this point, it's a bad idea."

Byleth wanted, in that moment, to tell her that it would hurt them if she left them and went back to Enbarr. But for some reason, they didn't. They stayed quiet, nodding in response to her sentiment and hoping she wouldn't think their silence suspicious.

They'd come to realise, over these last few months, that Edelgard had a lot in this world. If she let Byleth go, perhaps it wouldn't be a huge loss to her. But if Byleth found themselves detached from Edelgard's life, they'd lose far more.

* * *

"Hey Edelgard," Jeralt asked. Byleth watched as Edelgard looked up with wary eyes; even after these last few months in their mercenary group, she didn't quite trust him. "When it's cold and gloomy like today, do you ever want to go back home?"

Edelgard scoffed and inched closer to the bonfire. "No," she said. "Even when the rain pours down in sheets, I don't have a home to return to beyond this group."

"Not even Enbarr?" he asked.

Edelgard shook her head. "That isn't home," she said firmly. Her eyes drifted towards Byleth, and they nodded to her. "It's just the place that came before. And I'd never return there, not in a hundred years, not if we endured every hardship in the world."


	8. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard and Byleth find themselves getting very, very competitive over the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.

"So, it's the Battle of the Eagle and Lion this moon," Edelgard greeted on the very first morning of the moon. "You have a handful of weeks to prepare your class. Are you ready?"

"Of course," they replied. Really, most of the year led up to this point: all three Houses clashing together on Gronder Field to find out which of them was strongest. It was an important event, more important than almost any other in the school year.

"Though, naturally, it doesn't matter if you're ready or not," she said. "Only one class can win, after all, and that will be mine."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," they warned. "My students are very well prepared and a balanced group. They know what they're doing." They also knew from experience that the Eagles knew what they were doing - but that wasn't what mattered right now.

"Even if they're the most prepared group in the world, that doesn't mean they'll come out of this victorious," Edelgard replied. "I have the strength of will to guide my classmates to victory, so that's exactly what I'll do."

"Not with that attitude," they said. "It's not all about a leader, as I'm sure you know. You also need to have a belief in their ability to achieve - no one can lead untalented individuals to victory through force of will alone."

"But do  _ you  _ have that belief?" Edelgard asked. "Can  _ you  _ believe in the talents of your students?"

"Yes, I can," they fired back. Undoubtedly. There was no question as to whether they believed in their students - they were a bright, talented bunch. "But can you?"

Edelgard huffed and turned away, and Byleth did the same. "It's not like you would know," she said. Edelgard's eyes met Byleth's, and both of them burst into laughter. "Too much?" she asked. Byleth nodded. "You too."

"Clearly your dramatics are in good company," they shot back. "Either way, I'm going to win."

"No, I am."

"No, I-" They broke off into laughter again, and Edelgard joined them. "Just go to class. We'll find out soon enough."

* * *

In the second week of the moon, Edelgard greeted them at lunch with a groan. "My classmates are demons," she said. "They won't listen to me."

"Why not?" they asked, but even before she opened her mouth, they had a good idea. They knew enough about the Black Eagles to know that the first week of the month had been less than ideal.

"They won't follow my training schedules," she said. "I drew up one for each of them, one that played to their strengths in combat, so we could be as prepared as possible for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.  _ Some  _ of them are happy that I'm stepping up to lead, as they should be, but some of them just won't listen at all. It's infuriating."

"Maybe you should let them do their own things," they suggested. They didn't know the exact conversations the Eagles had held over this, but they were willing to bet there was one thing in particular they thought about Edelgard doing this. "You probably seem a little domineering to them."

"Well, this is why your class won't win," Edelgard said, popping a tomato into her mouth with a satisfied look on her face. "You're too lax with your students. With everyone else redoubling their efforts, they'll never have the preparation or training necessary to beat the rest of us."

"Perhaps this is why  _ your  _ class won't win," they shot back. "If you're as strict as all of this sounds, then you're clearly refusing to let them have the creativity they need to succeed in this. Flexibility is key for growth, and a good leader should know that."

"I refuse to pick up the slack for classmates who don't try," Edelgard complained. "I need  _ skill  _ in my group, not flexibility. What was it you said?" she continued. "That no amount of good leadership will win a battle if the soldiers are poorly trained?"

Byleth huffed. "Don't turn my words against me," they said. They stood, leaving a small portion of their food untouched. "I have somewhere to be." They didn't get angry all that often, but there was a frustration boiling in their veins right now. They needed to take a step away from this before they did any more damage.

* * *

Byleth and Edelgard didn't argue all that much, back in the mercenary group, but when they did it was fairly explosive.

"I still think you need someone to cover your back," they argued. Edelgard had been caught unawares in battle  _ again,  _ and yet she continually refused their aid or even denied that anything bad had happened in the first place.

"I can go it alone," Edelgard returned, her voice firm. "I don't need you to be there all the time. Or anyone, for that matter."

"I don't have to stick to your shadow, and I don't want to," they said. Couldn’t she see they were just worried about her? Worried about the possibility that a day might come when someone was too far away to bail her out? "I just think it would be beneficial for you - for  _ everyone  _ \- if you stuck a little closer to me in battle. Just in case."

"Stop babying me," Edelgard snapped. "I'm not a  _ child,  _ Byleth, yet you continually insist on treating me as one. I've told you a hundred times-"

"Kids," Jeralt said. Byleth's gaze snapped up to him as he approached, hands raised slightly. It didn't help to diffuse anything. "I think you both need to calm down."

"No we don't," they said, in unison (which proved a lot of things, in hindsight, but in that moment it just made the pair of them more annoyed).

"Yes you  _ do,"  _ he said, and this time his tone left no room for argument. Byleth hunched their shoulders, but managed to tear their glare away from Edelgard. "Thank you. So, go on. Tell me what the problem is, because I presume you're not arguing about kitchen duty."

"Kitchen duty would be more important than what Byleth wants, anyway," Edelgard grumbled. "They want me to stay closer to them in battle, but I don't think there's any point. We can cover more ground if we're not glued to each other, and I do not need a chaperone on the battlefield."

"I never said that you did," Byleth complained. "I just think you're too reckless. The last thing anyone wants is for you to get hurt, and the fact remains that you're never the fastest soldier on the field. If someone was nearby, they could patch up any gaps in your defences. I don't want to treat you like a child, just like a person I do not wish to get hurt."

Jeralt hummed, looking between the pair of them as he clearly weighed up what they'd said. "Edelgard," he said first, turning to her with half a smile on his face. "You need to accept your limits. Let people help you when you need it, and accept that sometimes you  _ will  _ need it. That's the case for everyone."

Byleth smiled as Edelgard let out an indignant noise. "You're being completely unfair," she said. "Byleth is-"

"Yes," Jeralt said, and Byleth's smile immediately faded as his slightly disapproving look turned to them. "Byleth needs to be more aware of and understanding of your strengths, rather than fretting at your weaknesses."

"But we can't  _ both  _ be right and wrong, Father," they complained.

Jeralt just chuckled. "You definitely can be," he said. "You need to be more understanding of each other. Alright?" They both paused. "Come on, kids."

"Fine," Edelgard said, her eyes falling back onto Byleth. She reached out her hand, waiting for them to take it. They stared at it for a moment. "Oh, stop being so stubborn. We can argue about it later if we really must, but can't we just sort it for now?"

Byleth let out a groan, but nodded, taking her hand. "For now," they agreed.

In the end, they didn't argue about it later.

* * *

"Professor." Byleth looked up from the classroom's desk with surprise; it was unusual to see Hubert at the door. Flanking him were Petra and Dorothea, and they moved closer almost in tandem.

"What can I do for you?" they asked.

"You need to make up with Edelgard," Petra said. "Your feud cannot continue."

Dorothea nodded. "I know you disagreed with her for good reasons, and we do see that, but Edie's been terribly out of it since then. She's taking it out on everyone and  _ that  _ helps no one. I'm sure you understand?"

Byleth looked between them and sighed. They could see what was meant by that; Edelgard hadn't sat by them or anyone in the dining hall for the past few days. She ate alone, trained alone, read alone, and slept alone. She didn't really talk to people outside of classes, and the only thing they  _ had  _ seen was her snapping at people who were in her way.

It couldn't continue, and it was unfair to everyone else to let it do so if they had the power to stop it. "Alright," they said. "And I apologise for letting our feud enter your classroom."

Fortunately, because Edelgard was a creature of habit who did the same things on her own pretty much every day, Byleth was able to find her fairly easily. She looked up sharply when they entered the knight's hall, barely even pausing in her set of merciless axe drills.

"You work better with a sparring partner," they said, which was true. Edelgard stopped her motions and looked at them with fire in her eyes. "Fancy a round or two?"

"Fine," Edelgard said, swinging her axe back and forth twice before settling into a fighting stance. "Go on."

Byleth lunged forward, Edelgard went left. They danced around each other for a few strokes, neither managing to land a hit. But Edelgard didn't seem too tense, so it was probably safe to say something. "I'm sorry," they said. Edelgard quirked an eyebrow at them and went to catch them to the right; they dodged away. "I was uncompromising with you."

"Good," she said. "You  _ should  _ apologise." They nearly laughed at that, but they just about managed to keep it in. Edelgard lunged again, and this time they brought their blade up to intercept.

For a moment, they stared into each other's eyes, and then Edelgard let her gaze fall, shoving them off her with a grunt. "I was in the wrong too," she admitted.

Byleth nodded. "Did something happen?" they asked.

Edelgard shook her head, a hint of a smile on her face as Byleth landed a soft hit to her shoulder. "I just realised it when thinking it through," she said. "I should have taken it on an individual basis. Some of them  _ liked  _ the style I prefer, and benefited from my encouragement and the structure I could aid them with. But others didn't. It wasn't my job to dictate how they work best."

"You're right," they said, and they hoped they didn't sound too much like a teacher as they said it. "It just so happens that all my students prefer to be left to their own devices, but… I shouldn't have just accepted that I was right and you were wrong. I should have helped you with it."

Edelgard let out a bitter chuckle as her movements faltered and Byleth landed one, two, three hits to her chest. In a battle, that would have killed her; Byleth won. Edelgard stopped moving entirely, her axe drooping to lean against the hard-packed sand of the hall's floor. "Maybe this is why I never would have been a good Emperor," she said.

Byleth shook their head firmly. They didn't know exactly where this had come from, but they couldn't let something like that go unchallenged. "Leading people is why you would have been a good Emperor," they said. "Though perhaps you might not have been the most popular."

"Perhaps..." Edelgard hummed. There was an uncertainty in her voice.

"What do you think you'd be doing now, if you were next in line to be the Emperor?" they asked. Maybe she would have won the battle with an increased authority over her peers. Maybe they never would have met, and Byleth would have chosen to lead the Eagles; maybe that would lead them to victory in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.

"I think some people think I still  _ am  _ in line to be Emperor," she said, a thoughtful look on her face. "So maybe it would all be the same."

“Maybe?”

Edelgard laughed. “You have me there,” she said. "I know. If I were still there, things would be very different. Maybe everything would be different."

“How so?” they asked.

Edelgard hummed. "Maybe I would have a better relationship with my classmates. Or maybe it would be worse, and I'd find Ferdinand more insufferable, or Caspar more irritating. But one thing I do think would come to pass is that I think I would be in a better position to follow through on my beliefs."

Byleth nodded. They could understand that; she'd have more power, more influence. There'd be more people willing to listen to her, to give her the resources she needed to see things through. "Do you want to do it now?" they asked. "Take up the position of Emperor, just so you can access those things?"

Edelgard shook her head. "No, honestly," she said. "I feel it would be selfish to do it just for my own ends. Having aims and the will to power would not make me a good ruler, no matter what you say."

* * *

The Battle of the Eagle and Lion went, in the end, pretty much exactly how Byleth expected it to. The Eagles and Lions rushed in right at the beginning, prepared to do whatever they could to take the strongest individuals off the field. That left the Deer ready to swoop down and take their chance against the stragglers who remained.

"Good job, Claude," they said, once the battle was said and done and all the students were preparing for the feast. The whole group of Deer were there, preparing and celebrating their victory. "It was your strategy that really won the day. Thank you."

Claude laughed. "It was no big deal, Teach," he said. "Besides, it was you who really led us to victory."

"Definitely!" Hilda chimed in, and the others all crowded round to agree.

"Yes Professor, you did a great job today," Lysithea said. Her eyes shone as she spoke.

They shook their head. "No," they said firmly, "it's because of all of you that we got this far. A good leader cannot lead poor soldiers to victory, and our battle today was no different. I hope every one of you is happy with how you did today."

"Mostly I think I'm just happy that you're teaching us, Professor!" Flayn said. Her presence in the class was new, but she fit in wonderfully with the rest of them. It was a joy to see, and her words were wonderful to hear.

"Absolutely," Lorenz said. "Though we are certainly not individuals  _ lacking  _ in talent, I believe that is you who truly lifts us to greatness."

The rest of them nodded, and Byleth felt something warm blossom in their chest. They still didn't have a heartbeat, but they felt a little like their chest was about to burst from pride. They were so glad to be able to experience this with such wonderful students. When they opened their mouth to say so, however, Raphael cut in.

"I don't know about the rest of you," he said, "but I think there's plenty of time for sappy words at the dinner table. Let's get going!"

They all cheered, and Byleth was happy to go along with them as they swept into the dining hall, ready to eat until they couldn't eat anymore. The hall was packed with people and food, and it wasn't long before everyone settled down in a seat and tucked in. With a quick glance around the room, they could see everyone was accounted for - even their father, who nodded at them from his corner of the room, squeezed between Seteth and Alois. He was in for a fun night.

And Edelgard… Byleth looked over in her direction, just to check she was doing alright. She didn't tend to enjoy losing at things, especially when she'd worked hard for a victory. But to their surprise, she was surrounded by her classmates, and she was smiling.

"We may have lost," she said, and the students around her all groaned at varying volumes, "but I think we still achieved a lot today. I know I'm not the leader of your house, and I know we don't always get on perfectly, but… I'm proud of how far we've come in the last few months. I hope you don't hold the frustrations I subjected you to this month against me."

They smiled to themselves; it was so Edelgard. Every word rehearsed in advance, and yet it sounded decidedly genuine. There was an emotion to her voice that was undeniable - she truly was proud of them, and she'd known that she would be even before she knew whether they'd win or lose.

"If anyone minds, they can answer to me," Caspar said, his fist in the air, and the rest of the class cheered along with him and nodded their assent. In reply, Edelgard's face lit up.

"Absolutely," Ferdinand said. "Perhaps there was some scenario in which we could have won today, but that's not what happened. You cannot be faulted for it when there are so many other things that could have changed all of it. Besides, I certainly had plenty of fun anyway, and I think everyone else feels the same."

"Even Hubert?" Edelgard asked, a note of amusement in her tone. Hubert, his face like thunder as always, nodded. Laughter broke out between them all once more, and Byleth turned away; they'd seen and heard enough to know that Edelgard would be fine without their company tonight.

It made them smile again; it was good to finally see her open up with others and enjoy herself.


	9. The Dark Before the Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are rumours of darkness at Remire, and as the truth pours in it upsets everything in the monastery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has art! https://twitter.com/CanCrunchGoats/status/1337895007160856576?s=20 It's also embedded in the fic below

When they were still mercenaries, the most normal thing in the world was to eat dinner at a campfire. They did it pretty much every night, unless they were staying in a town for one job or another. Many meals were taken on the move, but the evening meal was stationary. Now, Byleth would even describe it as special, though it hadn't seemed so at the time.

"Could I have a roll, El?" they asked, leaning forward to reach for the plate she held.

Edelgard nodded, reaching across herself. A branch snapped behind her and she jumped, the plate overbalancing and tipping one of the rolls onto the ground. She pulled the rest close to her chest. "Are you going to eat that?" she asked, shooting them a smile to accompany her challenge.

"Kid, don't-" their father said, but it was too late. Byleth plucked it out of the fine dust, tore two chunks off, and put one in his mouth and one in their own. Edelgard burst into laughter, almost doubled over as she watched a mix of outrage and amusement form on Jeralt's face.

The next day, they entered Remire Village, and that night their lives changed forever from those lively, happy scenes.

* * *

Remire was on Byleth's mind a lot lately. With the news of a strange occurrence, it was discussed fairly frequently in the halls. No one could work out quite what was wrong - a plague of some form? A sickness? Something wrong with the food or water? Something magical?

There was an uncertainty to it, and no further news clarified it in the slightest. It was unnerving to say the least, and that meant it came up more often than not. It had them thinking.

"We've come a long way since that incident in Remire all those moons ago," they said. Edelgard hummed to herself and nodded, kicking her legs up against the monastery wall. They'd taken to spending their evenings outside, watching as people went into and out of the cathedral. It was soothing, in a way, to watch people go about their lives.

"It's been half a year," she said. "A lot has changed."

"Do you regret it?" they asked. They were almost afraid to ask, but it had to be said. Especially after everything that had happened in the last couple of months. "Do you think things would have been better if we'd snuck away before Alois arrived?"

"I don't know," she said. "It's been nice, I'd say, to see the way you've opened up a little. I'm used to seeing your smile, but seeing you direct it at someone other than myself or your father is a novelty I never expected to see. It's not an unwelcome one."

"I'd say the same," they agreed. Sometimes, they did think things would be easier if none of this had ever happened, but they were so used to seeing Edelgard in the context of their mercenary work. She didn't really have friends before now. "It's good to see you form bonds with the other Eagles."

Edelgard laughed. "I suppose I can't deny that I like that too," she said. "They're not so bad. Not as bad as I thought, anyway. Sometimes I wish that none of this had ever happened. It would be simpler that way. But those moments are getting fewer and farther between."

"What kind of times?" they asked.

Edelgard glanced behind herself before letting out a sigh. "If I'm being honest, it's about Hubert and Ferdinand," she said. "Did I ever tell you much about the time I spent with them as a child?"

"No," they admitted. They'd guessed at their history, and the fact that Hubert had an attachment of sorts to Edelgard while Ferdinand viewed her as a rival, but beyond that the details were hazy.

"Hubert was my vassal," she explained. "Day in and day out, he was by my side. I've never known someone so uniquely dedicated. I left that behind, and now… well, I don't think I can blame him for holding it against me. Ferdinand is- somehow, even more complicated. He's a fool at times."

Byleth laughed, and Edelgard turned to look at them with a shocked expression. "Did I do something wrong?" they asked.

"No, not at all," she said, a small smile on her face. "You just don't laugh very often. I wasn't expecting to hear it."

Yes, things were tricky these days. Complicated beyond even the hope of understanding. There was old pain and a whole world of history that was constantly coming up to bite them, but there were good things too. Watching Edelgard's soft smile, seeing the way she'd grown in these past few moons...

Byleth thought that was worth every sacrifice that went along with it.

* * *

Remire was a disaster. It was… terrible. There was no other way to describe the horrific events that unfolded before their eyes. Parents killing children. Children turning on their families, some while they slept. The natural became unnatural, and the one place that had always been most secure turned dangerous.

It wasn't just the lives of the villagers that were disrupted either. The events at Remire had an uncomfortable meaning for all in the monastery, too.

Solon. Byleth had held a few conversations with him over their time in the monastery, back when they knew him as Tomas. He seemed nice. A curious person, always searching for knowledge and eager to help others find it. They'd seen him slip a book to Claude more than once when he was researching.

But now- now, it seemed clear there was something else to that. Was there something sinister to his every action, or just a few? Was Remire the site of that calamity simply because Byleth held a conversation with him a few days after they'd been there? It was hard to know. It was hard to know _anything._

"I don't understand," Edelgard said. Her voice shook a little when she perched right on the edge of the seat at Byleth's bedroom desk. "I don't know what they're planning. I _can't_ know, because they keep slipping between our fingertips, and- surely these are linked, yes?"

"They could be," Byleth said. The attacks on the monastery and students, the uprising in the western Empire… it wasn't beyond imagining that there was something going on there. "Why, is there something in particular that doesn't fit?"

"I..." Edelgard stared down at her hands. When Byleth looked too, it was clear they were shaking. "There is an evil here in Fódlan. Something terribly wrong, people who would do anything to achieve shadowy desires with no regard for the life or wellbeing of others. All of these things, and the way Solon appeared in his true form… it reminded me of all that happened to me when I was a child."

"Would it make sense for them to be linked?" they asked, moving across the bed. They leaned forward to take her hands, and Edelgard squeezed theirs tightly.

I don't know," she admitted. "Sometimes, I think it's as clear as day. At others, I feel it is just my mind playing tricks on me, and I cannot be certain. But whatever it is, whoever these people are, they must want _something._ I just don't know what it is and have no idea how to find out."

"What about the people in your class?" they asked. "Your classmates are involved with the Empire, to varying degrees. If there's any connection between all of this and the people of your childhood, then maybe they'll know something about those plans."

"Byleth," Edelgard said, her voice firm. "Do you really think that someone like Caspar knows anything about political machinations going on in the shadows behind Garreg Mach?"

Byleth let out a short chuckle. "Maybe not," they said. "But Linhardt is incredibly perceptive, and Hubert knows what he's doing without fail. The likelihood that one of them knows something, or even that together they know enough to put the pieces together, is fairly likely. It's better than the information we have right now, anyway."

"Perhaps..." Edelgard said. She still sounded doubtful. "But there is something else." Her hands slipped out of Byleth's and found purchase gripping the sides of her chair.

"What is it?" they asked. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"If one or many of my classmates know something, then they could have said something before," she said. "We've been embroiled in this mystery from the very beginning. If they know something but haven't said anything up until now, that means they have something to gain from keeping it to themselves. Something that means they'd rather not share."

"You're saying that one of your classmates would betray us?" they asked. Even after all the warmth that Edelgard shared with her classmates over the last few moons, she still believed that there could be something wrong. They didn't know if that was wise or a little sad. Maybe it was both.

"Not exactly," she answered. Her fingers rubbed against the edge of the seat, tracing patterns into the wood. "Maybe they don't hold the key to everything. But they could easily stand to gain from the power those monsters have. If they control things from behind the scenes, they need someone to represent their interests in the open. Any one of the nobles in my class could be involved in that."

"Even Bernadetta?" they asked. It was a joke more than anything, meant to lighten the mood a little. They didn't _want_ Edelgard to be convinced that the whole world was against her in some way.

"Even Bernadetta," Edelgard confirmed. "My father was a puppet, right from the moment that uprising was staged. Someone has to be the new puppet in the end, once he's gone. Someone might want to be the puppet master. My classmates did not cause the Insurrection of the Seven, but their parents did."

"You can't blame them for what happened," Byleth said.

"That's not what I'm doing," Edelgard reasoned. "I'm… they stand to benefit from this. Many of them are in a good position to use the power the Insurrection granted their families. If this means that they just have to hide a handful of things from me or you, perhaps they'd do it. That's politics."

"I think sentiment means a little more than that," they said, trying to keep their tone gentle. They didn't want Edelgard to think they were working against her in this, or even dismissing her in the slightest. They heard her, they really did. But...

"Sentiment means plenty," Edelgard said, "but these shadows behind the throne have none at all. They have stripped so many of their lives - perhaps far more than we know, and maybe even beyond counting if they can be linked back to Remire, the rebellion. This cannot and should not be taken lightly."

"You're right," they said. Edelgard looked up at them, a hesitantly satisfied smile on her face. "But that's exactly why you need to let yourself trust people with this. We are… we don't exactly have a lot of power in this scenario. Your classmates..." No, that wasn't right. "We don't have the information or connections right now, but for once, maybe your history is on your side."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Her voice sounded a little hollow; however this concluded, it would have to finish soon.

"You left the Empire," they explained. "In the wake of that, your classmates lost a lot of potential power. They stand to gain a lot by standing alongside you and helping us all understand this. So maybe you should trust them."

"You don't understand," Edelgard complained. "I mean- I couldn't expect you to. I wouldn't _want_ you to, considering the things I experienced to get here. But you cannot know the things I have endured to reach a point like this. There is no room to trust."

"That sounds lonely," Byleth said, their hand brushing the empty mattress next to them. Edelgard looked over, sighed, and came to join them. A moment later, she leaned her head on Byleth's shoulder.

"It is," she admitted. "But I have you. That will have to do."

"Maybe one day there'll be room for others," they suggested. They didn't _want_ Edelgard to feel this alone. They didn't want her to feel like everything had to be accomplished in isolation.

"Maybe," Edelgard said, her voice small as she continued. "Maybe not."

Byleth nodded and hooked an arm around her shoulders. There was plenty they couldn't do for Edelgard. They couldn't convince her that her classmates weren't working against her. They couldn't protect her from the past, nor from the future. Sometimes, they couldn't do anything at all to help her.

But they could hold her, and let her steady her breathing against their shoulder as she drifted off to sleep. They could set her down in their bed and hope that, this time, her sleep would be restful and she'd wake with a more optimistic outlook on the world.

Things were dark; Byleth couldn't deny that. But they hoped that the dawn wasn't too far away. Edelgard deserved a new dawn.


	10. Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the month of the ball, and Edelgard is chosen as her house's White Heron Cup representative. Byleth attempts to help in whatever way they can.

"I think I would gladly fight Professor Manuela in every spar for the rest of my life if she would just change her mind," Edelgard complained. Byleth looked up as she flopped onto the bench next to them, their lips quirked upwards in amusement.

"What did she do?" they asked. Edelgard groaned.

"I presume you've heard about the ball at the end of this month," she said. Byleth nodded; it would be more impressive if they  _ hadn't  _ heard about it. Every student had spoken about it a hundred times already, they were sure, and it was only the third day of the month. "And the White Heron Cup?"

Byleth nodded again. "Flayn asked if she could be the Golden Deer representative, and I saw no reason to say no."

Edelgard nodded. "Well, Ferdinand asked if he could be our representative.  _ I  _ thought that Dorothea would be a better choice, but our  _ magnanimous  _ Professor has decided that I would do the best job."

Byleth just about managed to hold in their snort. "She's asking you to dance?" they asked.

"She's asking me to dance in front of people!" she said. "I tried to tell her no, that I didn't want to do it, but she said there was no negotiating to be done. She thinks I can win, somehow, unless she's actually just punishing me. In fact, that's probably exactly what she's doing."

Byleth chuckled. "What do you think the problem is with it?" they asked. "If she thinks you'd be a good dancer, she probably has a fairly decent idea. It's not like she's an amateur."

"I am  _ very  _ out of practise," Edelgard explained. "I haven't danced like that in… well, in years. It's been a very long time."

Byleth nodded. "Well, I could help you practise," they suggested.

Edelgard threw back her head and laughed. "You?" she asked. "Why should I believe you can dance?"

"I can't," they replied, laughing along with her. "But that doesn't mean I can't help you practise. Besides, if anyone sees us at it, you'll look fantastic compared to me."

Edelgard hummed. "I suppose," she said. She paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "What do I have to lose? It'll only help me look less of a fool once Manuela forces me to practise with her."

"Then let's get started," they said, rising from their seat and offering Edelgard a hand. Edelgard took it, pulling herself up. "Where do you want to practise?"

"I think the knight's hall will do," Edelgard said, dropping their hand as she made her way to the hall. Byleth followed, throwing aside their coat and standing in the sandy section of the room. They stared Edelgard down, waiting for her to make a move.

"How do we do this?" they asked. Edelgard laughed, but there was a distinct note of nervousness to it. They raised their arms in an approximation of ballroom dancing, and Edelgard laughed harder.

"No, not like that at all," she said, moving closer and taking Byleth's left hand in her right. With her left arm, she directed their grip around her shoulder, straightening out once she was done. "More like this. Do you get it?"

Byleth looked down at their feet and then shrugged. They didn't really know if they got it, and they didn't think they would until they managed to get moving. "Let's just give it a shot," they said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Edelgard narrowed her eyes. "You are  _ definitely _ going to step on my toes," she said.

"Not if you step on mine first," they pointed out.

Edelgard laughed again. "Alright, I get it," she said. "You're too clever for these noble games. But you have to play by these rules, or I'll get nothing out of any of this."

"Noted," they said, shuffling their feet along the ground. "How many beats is it? Four?"

"Three." Another laugh, and then Edelgard started to hum a short, cheerful tune. This was something they recognised; definitely not a noble's dance, but it fit what they needed. They moved, taking a few steps forward, a few back. They turned, spinning Edelgard with them.

It was rough going - Byleth knew nothing about dancing. They could only approximate the steps they'd seen, half-mocking, when the mercenary band used to dance together after too much drinking. It felt less like they were leading and more like Edelgard was tugging them into shape, making sure they stepped at the right times.

"Why is it so hard to just step at the right time?" they complained.

"You're actually stepping for too long," Edelgard said, picking up the pace of her hum just a little. Once Byleth had the new rhythm, she spoke again. "You're overstepping, and then you constantly have to adjust your balance. It takes you too long, and then you're stuck when it comes to the next step. You're overthinking it, really."

"It's a little difficult not to, when I have no idea what I'm doing."

Edelgard nodded. "If I were taller than you, I could probably lead," she said. "As it is, it's probably better if I do it in this position anyway. It's the one I'm more familiar with. Let's just keep going, I'm sure you'll get it eventually."

Byleth tried. They really did! It was just difficult - endlessly difficult - to get what they needed to do straight in their mind. Edelgard was graceful, and they mostly just hampered her. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but she definitely had a better idea than them, and they could feel her getting frustrated.

So they kept going. And then they kept going some more, going round and round, repeating step after step until finally Byleth felt like they weren't five steps behind Edelgard at all times. Edelgard, too, seemed like she'd improved - if they'd thought she was graceful when she started, that was nothing compared to the end of their session.

She moved like... it felt cliched to say it, but she moved like water. Each action was seamless, even as they fumbled around her with every step. She span like it was nothing, and her feet moved somehow even faster than they did on the battlefield. It was, like everything she did, frankly breathtaking.

When they finished up, Edelgard flopped down on the ground with her back against the wall. Byleth joined her, relishing in the cool feeling of the stone against their back. They hadn't realised quite how exhausting this was until that point. "You were utterly terrible," Edelgard said.

They nodded; she was right, and there was no denying it. "You were a lot better by the end." Edelgard smiled, looking about as tired as they felt.

"Thank you for doing that with me," she said. "It's been a long time since I did any dancing. The last time… I learned to dance alongside my siblings. With how many of us there were, we spent so much time in the ballroom, trading partners and techniques." There was a sadder smile on her face, now.

"I can understand how it would be difficult to do it again," they said.

Edelgard nodded, her eyes downcast even as she continued to smile. "It's been a long time since I felt as carefree as that. Doing this with you… it reminded me of those times."

"Do you still think of them a lot?" they asked.

Edelgard shook her head. "In a way, you filled that void for me," she said. "You... I believe that you and I hold a bond that is stronger than that of siblings. We don't happen to share a parent or a home. There's no circumstance tying us together, but we fit anyway. I choose to stay by your side, and I think that's truly precious."

Byleth smiled, tucking a strand of slightly sweaty hair behind their ear. "You're precious to me too," they said. "But if I am a family you chose... what about the Eagles?"

"What about them?" Edelgard asked with a frown. "I don't see how they factor into my family. At least, as far as I  _ know." _

"Well, you didn't choose them," they said. "They just sort of ended up in your life. But they're always at your side, every day, and they annoy you fairly frequently. Does that make them your siblings?"

The smile returned to Edelgard's face as she stopped, shocked, and then laughed. "Yes, I suppose so," she said.

* * *

Byleth hummed a little tune as they walked down to the marketplace. They didn't know what it was - they'd picked it up from someone else in the company, probably; they always went to taverns and learned new things. They didn't know what about it caught Edelgard's attention, but she stared all the way down to the market and half of the way back.

"Is something wrong?" they asked. "I don't have to sing it, if it sounds bad." They tried to inject a bit of levity into their voice to show they were teasing. They didn't know if the tone thing worked, but Edelgard seemed to understand what they meant.

"It's not that," she said, fiddling with the handle of the basket she carried. "It's more... the song reminds me of someone. It sounds very similar to something one of my older sisters used to sing."

"Oh?" they asked. Edelgard didn't talk about her siblings very much - she preferred to keep their memory close to her chest, she'd once told them. For her to bring them up... it must have been a striking resemblance.

"Her name was Sofia." Edelgard sighed. "She was a little taller than you, as far as I remember, though maybe I was just far shorter back then. She loved to sing and dance, more than anyone else. Why, we used to have a friend, and he was as dire as anything. But she could get anyone dancing - even him."

They laughed. "She sounds like a lovely person."

"She was." Edelgard's expression turned sour. "She used to wake me in the early mornings, sometimes, to watch the sunrise. We weren't really meant to bed out of bed at that time, we'd just get in the way of all the servants preparing for the day, but she kept us all out of trouble. We'd climb up to the top of one of the parapets and walk around out there, watching the sun and listening to the bird's first cries of the day. It was always noisy, but somehow so peaceful."

"Do you miss her?" Byleth asked. As she spoke, Edelgard's smile had faded. Now, she stood opposite them with something so sad in her eyes, they didn't know what to do.

"Yes," Edelgard said. Her left hand twisted over her right, until her grip tightened and she let out a short, shaky breath. "I miss her. More than I could ever say."

* * *

Despite their practise session, Edelgard didn't win the White Heron Cup - though not for lack of trying. As they watched the dances unfold, Edelgard moved with a grace more comparable to that which she showed on the battlefield: rapidly moving limbs, movements that came out of nowhere but were yet undeniably calculated, and a precision that spoke of practise and experience.

As she danced, she smiled, and Byleth smiled along with her. It was nice to see her actually  _ enjoying  _ something, especially something that didn't involve fighting. Edelgard didn't exactly have many hobbies, unless sharpening axes counted, but she seemed so in her element on stage that Byleth wouldn't have known it, were she a stranger.

Edelgard didn't look at the winner - Felix, who looked very pleased with himself but definitely trying not to show it - as she walked off the stage. She was still smiling, though, so Byleth didn't think she'd taken the loss too poorly.

"It is rather a shame that the Black Eagles won neither the Battle of the Eagle and Lion nor the White Heron Cup this year," Edelgard grumbled. "It reflects poorly on the Empire."

Byleth laughed, hoping that she wasn't so concerned about it that she'd be offended. "I thought you didn't care much about the pride of Adrestia," they said.

"I do care!" Edelgard said with a huff, moving to pull a jacket on over her dancing garb. "It's the place I grew up, even if it isn't my home, and many people I... care about are from there. I just don't want the responsibility for that pride."

Byleth nodded. They supposed they could understand that - they didn't feel pride towards a nation, but their class was somewhat similar. They were responsible for the success of their students, but the most important aspect was the pride they wanted to see within them. In all honesty, they were just happy to hear of the warmth Edelgard carried in her tone when she spoke of the Eagles as people she cared about.

* * *

Byleth, in the weeks leading up to the ball, did not improve much in the way of dancing. As such, when they made their way to the floor with Edelgard at their side, it was a disaster; there was no other way to describe it.

They tripped over Edelgard's feet. She moved away, a patient but pained smile on her face, and they tripped over their own. One foot in front of the other shouldn't have been quite so hard, but it  _ was.  _ They caught their own ankle, nearly got tangled up in their own sleeves - somehow - and then only managed to avoid crashing into another pair because Edelgard lunged away at the last minute.

Edelgard adjusted her hold over their shoulders. "Perhaps I should lead," she said, a note of amusement in her voice. "I know it's not how we practised, but I may just do a better job."

"I think you might," they agreed, letting her take control of the dance. She was much better at it, leading them elegantly - though falteringly - alongside everyone else.

"I wonder what people think, when they see us like this," Edelgard said. She span them around once more, and they did their best not to stumble again. They were partially successful, at least.

"They probably just think that we're two clumsy mercenaries having fun at the ball," they answered honestly. At least, they hoped people weren't thinking of too much else. They didn't have time to worry about something like that when they just wanted to enjoy themselves.

"Maybe they're looking on you as my distraction again," Edelgard teased, but there was something else to her voice too. Something that told Byleth she definitely was  _ not  _ enjoying the ball as much as they wanted her to.

Byleth pushed at her arms and stepped forwards, bringing their spin into the reverse. "Maybe we should talk about it somewhere else," they said. They didn't want to leave, not exactly, but if this was what Edelgard thought of when they spent time together here...

The look of relief on Edelgard's face told them everything they needed to know. "I think that would be wise," she said.

Edelgard took their hand and led them off the dance floor and out of the ballroom itself. She kept walking, and after a couple of minutes they realised she was walking out towards the cathedral. Strange - Edelgard rarely, if ever, set foot in it.

They finally came to a stop in front of the tall, moss-covered tower just beyond the cathedral's edge. There were a few other students around, some clustered in pairs and others with their eyes constantly roaming, but Edelgard ignored them all. She sat on top of one of the ledges separating them from the cliffs beyond and patted the stone next to her.

"I don't want people to see me as a distraction for you," they said, before Edelgard could even open her mouth. Edelgard frowned. "I'm not saying we should do anything to prevent it, because people will talk no matter what you do, but you make your own choices. I know that."

Edelgard nodded, but the frown remained. "I know," she said. "I just wish they didn't view me as- as someone who has a path that I'm just  _ avoiding,  _ in a way that's beyond my own control. I don't want to rule, I don't want people to think I'm aiming for that or destined for it in any way. I just want..."

She sighed, and placed her hand in the small space on the stone between them. "I value our bond more than anything," she continued. "I don't want anything to do with the past coming between us. Is that too much to ask? I just want to  _ enjoy  _ the time we spend together without thinking about who thinks we shouldn't interact."

"What can I do?" they asked, their fingers meeting Edelgard's. She gripped their hand tightly, and they waited in silence for what felt like a long time before she continued.

"Do you know the tradition of this place?" she asked. They shook their head. "It is that, when two people make a promise here on the night of the ball, that promise will hold true." She laughed a small, bitter chuckle. "It originates from a promise made between my parents. I do not know if theirs came true, and I doubt I'll ever find out."

"Do you want to make a promise?" they asked. Edelgard let out a shuddering sigh that somehow sounded so small, and then she nodded. "Well then. I promise to stick by your side no matter your decisions about the future. I will help you fulfil your aims and back up your ideas for as long as we both live. How does that sound?"

Edelgard's smile was small, but it was undeniably there. "Thank you." She squeezed Byleth's hand. "I promise to do the same. I'll support you, no matter who decides that we shouldn't. You mean far more than those empty words."

The night air was cool, and the stars were bright and nearly uncountable. It was beautiful; peaceful, even, with their arm linked with Edelgard's and the heavy warmth of the promise hanging in the air between them. They breathed steadily, easily, and their thoughts came back clear and bright with hope for the future.

The next day, everything went to hell.


	11. Clearing the Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeralt is gone. Those who remain have to figure out where to go from here.

Byleth felt distinctly as if they were constantly breathing through a layer of fluff. Sounds buzzed around them, but they moved too fast for them to hear. Words were exchanged, and maybe they replied. Maybe they didn't. Either way, they were tired. Their hands were cold. The chill from the rain seeped into their bones and wouldn't come out.

They knew, somewhere detached from their body (slow and sluggish, full of sadness and heavy weights they couldn't shake), that they were mourning. Or grieving - they didn't really know.

All they knew was it felt like there was no way out. It wasn't dark, but there was no light. It wasn't cold, but the warmth left them long ago.

They were tired.

Somewhere in the corner of their awareness, they knew Edelgard was hurting too. How could she not be? He was her father too, in a way. Maybe not in the same ways that he was Byleth's, but he was the same to her in all the ways that mattered. He gave her a home, food, warmth. He guided her when she was lost, tended to her (in his own rough way) if she fell ill.

They didn't think there was anything they could do to help. Edelgard moved in and out of their bedroom like a wraith, her eyes downcast and devoid of any kind of hope. There were words that needed to be said, but they didn't say them. Edelgard didn't either.

It was difficult to know if it was even possible to say the right thing now. There was only pain, and the knowledge that something was lost that could not return. What was there even to say in a scenario like that? Could there ever be a way out, beyond time?

* * *

"Could you stop that?" Edelgard complained, shaking her arm away from Jeralt's slightly rough ministrations. He ignored her, pressing the cloth against her wounds once more. Edelgard hissed. "I said stop!"

"No can do, El," he said, and Edelgard grimaced at the use of the nickname. Sometimes, Byleth thought she regretted giving them both permission to use it. Still, the way it fell from their father's lips was tender, warm. It made them smile, at least. "Gotta get you patched up."

"I can do it myself," she complained, twisting her arm around and waving her hand in his face; she wanted the cloth. He laughed, standing up and dangling it above her head. Fortunately for Edelgard, she had enough self-preservation and desire to avoid eternal teasing to stay seated.

Instead, she pouted up at him, and Jeralt only laughed. "Alright," he said. "I'll do By's instead, and then I'll come back to you." Edelgard huffed, but she didn't object this time; when he returned, she'd allow it.

Byleth offered up their shoulder with a roll of their eyes, and Jeralt tutted. "What?" they asked. He sat down next to them, pulling a wad of bandages out of his pack and a pair of scissors.

"You could afford to lose the attitude," he said, but there was still a warmth to his whole demeanour that seeped into his voice; he wasn't really telling them off. "I'm doing this to help you."

"I know," they grumbled. That didn't mean it didn't hurt, or that it wasn't embarrassing to be fussed over like this by him. None of the other mercenaries got this treatment, instead being trusted to go off to the healer once a battle was done.

"If I could count on you to take care of yourselves, I wouldn't do this," he said. He moved deftly, cutting the cloth now stuck to their skin so he could reach the wound. "But you're both too proud. You shouldn't be ashamed to take care of yourselves, you know."

"I know," Edelgard said, and Byleth nodded. There was a sense of pride to getting through a battle without an injury, but it was something that very rarely happened. Neither of them were fast enough to dodge a hit all the time.

"Then act like it," Jeralt said firmly. "Because I'd miss you kids if you were gone. So take your health seriously and stick around, okay?"

They'd always thought it was strange, at the time, that he worried so much about them. They were skilled, so it wasn't like they'd just drop dead one day.

They knew better now; their father's life may as well have just vanished between their fingertips, and they were left with the intimate, terrible knowledge that the pain of losing someone made the time put into a hundred precautions worth the effort if it just kept them alive.

* * *

The fog surrounding their body and mind wasn't the only problem to reckon with, though - there was also the diary, discovered in their father's quarters.

It was… unnerving. The contents within hinted at something far bigger than they'd suspected going on between them and Rhea. Something sinister, almost. Something forbidden, something they probably weren't meant to know.

"I don't like it," they said. The diary sat in their lap, open on the page featuring the day of their birth. The rain streamed down outside; they didn't know when it had started or if it was likely to stop soon, but at least it felt fitting. It made everything within their room dark - they hadn't bothered to light a candle, and neither had Edelgard.

Edelgard nodded. "It feels like we're caught up in something big," she said. "Or maybe it's just you. But we've ended up as small parts in a play with far bigger actors, and I'm..."

It went unsaid (most things went unsaid, these days), but they knew Edelgard was thinking of everything she'd left behind again. She was regretting the larger part she could have had in this world, leaving Byleth to wonder if maybe they didn't do the right thing in agreeing to let her stay all those years ago.

Maybe, if they'd done that, their father wouldn't have died. The thought left them number than before, and they couldn't bear it. They couldn't even stand to look at Edelgard with her downcast eyes and dark expressions and sadness that mirrored their own. Sadness she never should have held.

Hours later, Edelgard left without another word, called on by her classmates. Byleth knew the feeling; they, too, had received many visitors in the last few days. Everyone wanted to tell them how wonderful their father was, how much they'd miss him, and how sorry they were that he went too soon.

Byleth laid down on the bed, their eyes closed and the diary still balanced in their lap. They didn't sleep - they didn't even rest, not really - but they didn't move either. Even existing took more effort than they wanted to expend right now, with all the thoughts echoing around in their mind.

Later that day, when the clouds had cleared and the sun was firmly in its descent, Edelgard returned. When Byleth looked up, her eyes were rimmed with red - unusual, for Edelgard, but nothing was really usual anymore. "I spoke to my classmates," she said.

Byleth sat up, shifting over so Edelgard could take a seat on top of the sheets next to them. Neither of them leaned into the other. "What did they have to say?" they asked.

"Did Manuela tell you much about the circumstances of Jeralt's death?" Edelgard asked. They nodded; the weapon was strange, deadly in a way none of them could truly comprehend. "They wanted to speak to me about it. They knew- they knew more. They know who did it."

"Who?" they asked, something standing to attention within them at the thought of avenging him. At this point, it was probably the only thing they could do to make this any fairer on anyone.

"There are… people. They slither in the darkness behind the throne, behind the council. They're the people who took my siblings away, and they aren't done with Adrestia yet. They told me of how they know, and they've known for a long time, that things aren't how they seem in the Empire."

"Like I thought," they murmured. If there was anyone who'd know anything about what was going on, it would have been them.

"They didn't want to tell me initially," Edelgard said, a sad note to her tone. Sad in a different way to the emptiness that pervaded her every movement since their father's death. "They thought it would be better if I didn't know, if I couldn't be affected by the terrifying things they've seen as they tried to live their lives in the Empire. But now they've struck again, and they decided it could stand no longer."

"I'm glad," they said. Mostly, they were glad that Edelgard seemingly trusted their words. If everything that had happened this year was linked, if it was linked to the suffering Edelgard endured as a child… she'd need all the allies she could find.

"In the end, I feel bad," she continued, letting out a light chuckle. That sounded sad too. "I underestimated them. I thought they could never understand what I've been through, and they can't, not entirely, but they can try. They're not as far from it as I thought, and they- they're behind us, Byleth. They want to see us get revenge."

Byleth nodded. They didn't know what else there was to do, really - especially with everyone behind them and clear knowledge of who committed the wrongdoings, they knew someone had to pay. The only other option was letting them strike again, allowing them to take something from someone else, and that wasn't an option at all.

And if they struck again… who knew if the next victim would be them? Perhaps it would even be Edelgard, and the mere thought of that- they couldn't let it happen. They'd never let it happen. Even if Edelgard didn't need the protection, even if she didn't want it, they had to keep going. They had to connect to ever more people and find a way that they could make it through this. Together.

"These people have killed enough," they said, leaning against Edelgard's shoulder. When they looked up, Edelgard smiled softly. "We'll make them pay."

A fire lit in their heart, and they knew what they must do. They  _ would  _ achieve this, no matter what those snakes did to prevent it.

* * *

When the news arrived of the forces hiding out in the forest, there was only one thing to do. Byleth didn't even think about it - Claude came to them with his bow already in hand and their class ready to fight. Holding back, waiting for reinforcements… it didn't cross their mind for even a moment.

Their father died at the hands of these people. Edelgard suffered due to their sinister aims. For that, all of them had to die.

The battle was suspiciously easy. It set Byleth on edge, but only a little. They had an aim, and the determination to see it through; if their opponents didn't have the strength of will to challenge that, it wasn't their problem. Just their chance to get their father what he deserved.

Because of that, they weren't even thinking about trickery. They weren't imagining that there could be a spell to stop them in their tracks, to swallow them whole, to send them to a place with nothing but darkness.

Darkness, and the girl from their dreams. The girl who, somehow, was...

The Goddess Sothis. Byleth had been faintly aware of her presence in their life for a while now, but they'd never quite imagined that this was the truth waiting for them. In the end, there wasn't even the time to be shocked. The only thing in their mind was-

"I have to return," they said firmly, their eyes darting around the empty space. There was nothing here; no entrance, no exit. No way out, nothing they could use to fight their way through. Just them, their sword, and Sothis. "I have to get back to them."

"I know," the girl said, her tone sad beyond her apparent years. "You have to protect them."

They nodded. Their students were waiting for them back there. They must be terrified, having watched them disappear into the void itself. They wanted to guide them for longer, keep them on the path they deserved. They had to protect them from everything the world might throw at them - at least, the things they had the power to protect them from.

"And Edelgard," they added. Edelgard could manage on her own; she had people to support her, a whole host of people who cared so deeply about her presence and her happiness. She could manage without them - maybe that had always been the case - but they didn't want her to. "I have to get back to Edelgard."

That was all they thought of when Sothis stepped down in front of them. Edelgard. Edelgard would be so distraught if they never returned. If she knew of what had happened, she'd be beside herself even now. They had to prevent that from happening however they could.

When Sothis dissolved into a collection of sparks, they let the warmth course through them and give them the power they needed to return. They couldn't explain it, couldn't know if it even  _ made  _ any sense or if it would work, what the consequences would be. All they held in their mind and heart was the knowledge that there were people who needed them, and that was worth too much to just give in to the darkness.

They didn't remember much of what came next. Their sword, glowing brightly, the enemies in front of them falling away like it was nothing. The sky swimming above them. The darkness that overtook them once more, a heaviness that set into their limbs.

The next thing they knew, they were with Archbishop Rhea. She smiled at them, spoke words they couldn't understand. That, combined with the knowledge of the diary, the presence of Sothis inside their mind… something was wrong. But everything still felt just a little too encased in fog to figure it out.

"El..." they croaked, when words returned to them once more. Rhea's brow furrowed in something that, thankfully, didn't look any deeper than concern. "Is Edelgard alright?"

In their mind, it was only logical that she would be - she didn't come out with them to the forest. There was no reason she would have come into contact with anyone who could hurt her. The battle was well and done before anyone else could have arrived, and yet still, they worried.

Rhea nodded. "She is fine," she said. Then she chuckled, a warm sound that seemed so much more  _ human  _ than most things they'd heard from her before. "She has asked to see you many times, but while you slept I could not justify her visits. I could send someone to fetch her now, if you wished."

Immediately, they nodded. "Please," they said, the word coming out in a rush. They needed to see her; she'd probably been worried out of her mind.

"Alright," Rhea said. "It is… touching to see the way the pair of you have connected. The way that connection has only grown over the course of this year."

They nodded again, more than a little impatient to verify Rhea's words. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long - within minutes of Rhea sending a messenger to collect Edelgard, there was a fast knock on the door.

When Rhea stood to open it, Edelgard rushed in without even a moment's notice. They only half managed to sit up in bed, their body still heavy, when arms encircled their shoulders and Edelgard's eyes met theirs. "Oh, thank everything," Edelgard said. "You're alright."

They nodded, offering up a small smile, and Edelgard's grip around their shoulders only crushed them tighter. They lifted their arms in turn, running a hand down Edelgard's back. She was shaking. "I'm fine," they said. "It's okay."

Edelgard let out a half-strangled sigh and brought her head down, her forehead bumping Byleth's. They smiled and, thankfully, Edelgard returned the gesture. "That was so stupid," she said, her words leaving her mouth all jumbled up. "Don't you  _ dare _ do something like that again, okay?"

Their smile widened. "I'll do my best," they said, pulling Edelgard closer. She relaxed into their arms and, for now, it felt like everything was going to be alright.


	12. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's tension in the monastery as Byleth prepares to go down to Sothis' tomb. They decide to fix it.

The next month was hectic, to say the least. Byleth didn't understand half of the words being thrown around them at every hour of the day, but the importance of what had happened in the forest wasn't lost on them. The importance of what happened with Sothis was- well, Byleth didn't know much about the world of the Church, but they knew the Goddess was a big deal.

What they did understand was the gravity of the end of the month. For whatever reason, they needed to take protection down to the tomb. Trusted warriors, to invoke the events of old. Those warriors were meant to be their students, but Byleth wanted just one more thing.

"I'd like to take Edelgard down there with me too," they said. The Archbishop's oft-faltering smile faltered again, but she plastered it back on her face within a moment. Byleth had noticed that she tried pretty hard to smile at them.

"Is there a particular reason?" she asked.

They nodded. "I trust her," they said. "This is meant to be my closest allies, isn't it? So I would sorely like to take her with me also."

"Of course," Rhea said. "If she will accept to go, then she may join you."

And there was the sting in the tail. They needed to get Edelgard to consent to spend time with them, with only their class, in a space deep underneath the monastery. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem - Edelgard had promised to follow them to the ends of the earth if she had to.

But she was also avoiding spending any time with them at all right now. Three times, they tried to approach her with the aim of asking her if she could accompany them to the tomb. Three times, Edelgard was surrounded by classmates who watched them with wary gazes, always interjecting and always asking Edelgard to do something with them just as they approached.

Enough was enough. After over a week of trying and failing to talk to her (and at least one attempted poisoning, probably from Hubert), Byleth left their room in the middle of the night. They knew they were watched at all times - could judge as much from the way the shadows moved when they glanced behind them - but they knew they were also functionally permitted to do as they pleased. Visiting a close companion in the dead of night was definitely one of those things.

Entering her room was easy enough - they knocked, and after only a moment she called "enter!"

Her eyes widened when they opened the door. She sat at her desk, and her hands gripped the wood beneath her palms. "Byleth," she said, and the word sounded almost unfamiliar. Like she'd never spoken it before.

"Edelgard," they said. They didn't think calling her El right now would help. "Can we talk?"

Edelgard looked almost helplessly around her. "I suppose we can," she said. "Go on. Take a seat." She gestured towards the other chair, and they perched awkwardly on the edge of it. "What was it you wanted to discuss?"

"You're ignoring me," they said. It wasn't like she could deny it; it was plain for anyone to see, and they were sure that if they asked anyone about it, the most they'd be able to do was produce an unconvincing lie.

Edelgard sighed. "Perhaps," she said.

"Why?" They couldn't understand; sure, things had changed, but that didn't mean they were...

"It's almost as if you're a new person," Edelgard admitted, saying exactly the thing they'd feared and  _ exactly  _ the thing that made no sense. They were exactly the same person that they were before this mess happened, and they were sick of being treated differently for it.

"I'm not," they said.

Edelgard's fingers gripped the wood even harder. "You look so different now," she said. "Your eyes, your hair- it's as if something or someone else is a part of you, and now..."

"Now you don't know what to trust," they finished. Because Edelgard didn't  _ like  _ it when things changed, they knew that. She liked being able to predict and plan ahead. When something like this happened, all of that was blown away.

Edelgard nodded, catching their eyes for a moment. Then she looked away; she couldn't see anything familiar in them, apparently. But she didn't look at them like they were a stranger. More like she was hoping they weren't. Desperately hoping. "Edelgard," they said, willing their voice not to waver. "It's me."

They smiled at her, trying to let it reach their eyes. As they watched, the guarded look on Edelgard's face fell away, and her body collapsed in a sigh. "It's you," she echoed. "It really is you."

They nodded. "I'm sorry I worried you," they said.

Edelgard shook her head. "I'm not... I'm not even thinking about that anymore," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

"Well, I think it was fine in the first place," they said firmly, "so let's just move on from this, alright?"

This time, Edelgard nodded, and the smile she shot them was shaky but warm. "Was there something else you wanted to say?" she asked.

"Yes. I wanted to- talk to you about the Archbishop. Again." They had a feeling that Edelgard knew what they were going to say before they even opened their mouth. "She's been strange about this whole thing. I'm uncertain if I trust her, or if we can rely on her to do the right thing in this tangled mess."

Edelgard frowned. "I suppose I already suspected that," she said. "It's not encouraging to hear, but I didn't trust her in the first place. It's her fault, in part, that Crests are so revered. No matter how she treats you, there's something off about that."

"And she knows things," Byleth said. "She doesn't pretend she doesn't, not exactly, but- there are things she knows about me, and inevitably about Fodlan, that she just doesn't say. I don't want to wait and find out what that information is when it's important."

Edelgard let out a noise of frustration. "I don't  _ understand,"  _ she said. "I just feel so powerless!" She balled her hands in her lap, tension wound once more in every inch of her body. So many things are going on around us. Some of them are linked to me, some to you, and it feels like almost everyone knows more than they're willing to stay.

"And here we are, stuck in the middle with no clue where to turn. I just..." She sighed, her fists clenching tighter. "I wish I could do something. I wish I could take up the mantle of the Emperor so I could do something,  _ anything,  _ to change the course of events. As it stands, my past is just something that stands in my way. It can offer me nothing."

Byleth couldn't say it was alright, because they knew it wasn't. Too many things were happening all at once, and with everything going on around them they still felt hollowed out.

They couldn't say things were going to be okay, but they could try and make things a little better. "Would you?" they asked. "Take up the Empire, that is. Just to solve this, or take a shot at it?"

Edelgard sighed again, deeper this time. "Maybe," she said.

"If you wanted to, I'd be there," they promised. The words they'd spoken to Edelgard at the Goddess Tower were still fresh in their mind, but they thought the sentiment worth repeating. "It sounds like a good idea if you want to really change things."

"I might," Edelgard said. Her voice was a little stronger, now. "If the opportunity to do so presents itself, I think I might."

* * *

The next week brought their answer. A letter arrived for one Edelgard von Hresvelg, a name she  _ always  _ refused, and she took it straight to them before opening it. When she did, her forehead creased with concern. "It's an invitation to the capital," Edelgard said. "They want me to visit my... father."

"Will you?" they asked. They didn't know much of Edelgard's father, but they knew plenty about how she felt about Enbarr, all the terrible memories she associated with it.

But at the same time, it was an opportunity to do something about everything that still held them back. So it was nothing short of a surprise when Edelgard shook her head. "I don't think I will," she said.

"Why not?" It was their chance to change everything, and Edelgard just... didn't want to.

"I may not make it back in time to accompany you at the end of the month," she said, her face twisted into a grimace. "And it's just- it's not the right time." Her gaze fell back to the parchment, and she shook her head once more. "I want to be able to go back there with my head held high, knowing exactly what I'm doing there and where I stand. I can't do that now."

Even as she spoke, she looked horribly conflicted, and Byleth rose from their chair to take a seat next to her on the bed. When she didn't stiffen up, they plucked the letter from her hands and placed it to the side. Seeing the way she relaxed minutely, they hooked an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

"It's okay," they said. "You don't have to go. There's plenty of time to take that road, so you should take it whenever you want to."

"But-"

"No," they said firmly. "No buts. You've decided for now, but it's not a permanent decision. You get to make a new choice in the future. So for now... thank you for standing by me."

* * *

"Hey, kid, look at this!" The call went up from the back of the group in the latest town they had a job in, and Byleth watched as Edelgard's eyes fell on the man who'd spoken. She rolled her eyes and marched over.

"What could be important enough for- oh." Byleth couldn't see what the thing itself was, not from so far away, but they saw the way Edelgard's posture wilted.

"El?" they asked, hurrying over. They shot a glare at the mercenary and took their place at her side. "Everything alright?"

Edelgard pointed towards the sheet of paper the mercenary had called her to look at. It was simple, pinned to the post in the town square; an announcement for all to read.

'To the citizens of the Empire. It is our great regret to announce the disappearance and assumed death of the last remaining child of Emperor Ionius IX. Edelgard von Hresvelg was a bright, spirited girl, and she will be missed.'

"That's you," they murmured.

"It's me," she agreed. She still stared at it. Those words that spelt, quite literally, her death. But she was right there, still alive. "They've given up on me."

It was then that her posture hardened. "They've given up on me," she repeated, this time with a smile in her voice. "I'm… dead?"

"You're not dead," they replied, the tiniest of laughs in their voice. Expressing emotions was easier around Edelgard. "You're alive. They just don't think you are anymore."

Edelgard nodded, her eyes still fixed on the sheet of paper. And then, in one smooth movement, she pulled out her dagger and cut it from the post. She folded it in two and then, without even looking at it again, stuffed it in her bag. "I'm free." Finally, her eyes turned to them, and she was smiling. Byleth couldn't do anything but smile in return.

They barely knew what she was free from; but she was free.

* * *

The end of the month came in a rush. A quick briefing to Edelgard and their students, a firm yet fairly reasonable set of rules. The descent to the tomb itself was dark but uneventful. It felt a little as if the world held its breath.

When Byleth sat on the throne, just as the Archbishop directed them to, they felt... strange. Their vision blurred, but everything felt clear. They were far away, but the rough stone of the throne still brushed their palms, and the cool air of the tomb still bit at their face. They were there and they weren't there; maybe half one and half the other.

They looked up through blurry-clear eyes and saw Rhea, but there was something wrong. Something bulging at the edges. Rage and sadness and something blindingly white, but pure and clear all at the same time. Something under the surface that they recognised and didn't recognise in equal measure.

And then they looked left. It was Edelgard, but it wasn't. They recognised, faintly, the man from their endlessly repeating dream - Nemesis, the King of Liberation, though how they knew they couldn't tell. Something rippled under the surface, dark and angry, but also bursting with an ancient light.

They blinked, gasped, and staggered away from the throne. All in an instant, the feeling vanished. The certainty and uncertainty in equal measure vanished like a breeze, and they were left, half-hunched over, in the rising noise of the tomb.

Noise..? If there was one thing the Archbishop had promised them, it was that they would be undisturbed in this. They squinted into the space beyond, their vision now  _ actually  _ blurry, and spotted soldier after soldier streaming into the tomb. Each and every one of them was dressed in black.

"Princess Edelgard von Hresvelg," one of them called. He was short, and the expression on his face could be described as nothing short of wicked. "I represent the forces of the Empire here today, and I stand before you with a proposition."

Edelgard glanced nervously at Rhea, whose face was bared into something close to a snarl. She met Byleth's eyes; they nodded, and she turned back towards the intruder. "Speak, and give me a reason not to cut you all down where you stand."

The man sneered. "There is plenty enough reason. The Church is tyranny, and it has held power over the Empire for too long. If you wish to step forward as Emperor and lead us all into a brighter future, then stand with us now. That is all you need do, and power will be yours."

A frown became audible in Edelgard's voice when she replied. "Your offer extends only to me?" she asked.

"It stands to all who would join you," he said.

"And what do you seek to do here?" she asked. Byleth glanced down; her hands were firmly rooted on the hilt of her axe, and they didn't tremble.

"We come for the Crest stones," he answered. "They hold power unimaginable. Power that we must use to move forward."

Edelgard looked to Byleth again, and in that moment, they knew; she was considering it. But when they looked at those Crest stones, their heart seized up. They'd felt nothing as they entered the tomb, but now they knew better - these stones meant something to Sothis.

They had no idea what it meant, but now was not the time for an impulsive decision. They shook their head, and Edelgard nodded. 'I trust you,' she mouthed, and were it not for the frantic race of adrenaline in their veins at this situation, they would have smiled.

"No," she told the man. "I will not join you." She stepped backwards, coming to a halt just at Byleth's side. Their heart, unbeating as always, soared with pride.

It unfolded from there. Byleth could only be glad that, after all this time, they'd managed to train up a seamless group of fighters. It was tough going, but with some fraught moments and well-executed pincer movements, they drove the intruders ever backwards. More, and more, and more, until they departed, fleeing to parts unknown.

Byleth allowed themselves a moment's break as they emerged from the tomb, all battered and bloody but still very much alive, but it wasn't to be. Within moments, Seteth raced towards their group, his arms finding Flayn's frame. "You're safe," he said, his voice leaving his lungs in a rush. "I thought, after the announcement-"

"What announcement?" Rhea asked, her tone filled with the righteous anger Byleth had seen only a handful of times over the last year. She was scary, like this, and they couldn't help but think about what they'd seen when they sat on that throne.

"A missive from the Empire," Seteth explained. "They spoke of a new dawn for the Empire, led by a group of nobles under the Arundel banner. They have declared war on the Church, and when opposed by the Emperor, they had him killed."

Byleth could only blink, and their eyes found Edelgard. Edelgard, half doubled over, a hundred feelings in her eyes.

Had they made a mistake?


	13. To War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fodlan stands on the precipice of war, and the stakes have never been higher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter also features fantastic art from Goats, which is embedded, and you can also find it here: https://twitter.com/CanCrunchGoats/status/1347959612083998725?s=20

There was much to be done, but not in the dead of night. Panic reigned in the monastery: knights bustling around, students packing up to leave already, and a mass exodus from the town at the foot of the hill. The people of Garreg Mach prepared for war, but Byleth didn't think they could stay upright for much longer.

Within the hour, the Archbishop ordered everyone to bed. Byleth went half in a daze, unable to think about the idea of even thinking for themselves at this point. The battle was long since over, but their whole body still ached and the revelations of the night left them decidedly off kilter.

Edelgard followed them. They'd expected nothing less - the way she hovered at their side all night told them she had something to say. Or maybe just that she couldn't bear to be alone. Either way, they weren't going to object to her presence at their side.

"What's wrong?" they asked, almost the moment the door to their room closed behind them. They wouldn't let Edelgard suffer in silence any longer.

“I don’t know why I’m upset,” Edelgard said with a chuckle. It held no light. “I mourned him a hundred times already. He was dead long ago.”

"Your father?" they asked, their hands hovering at Edelgard's shoulders. They didn't know if she wanted this, not right now, not when everything was falling apart in front of her.

Edelgard leaned towards them. "I don't know if I even have the right to call him my father anymore," she said. She sounded so hollow, so small. "I didn't tell him I was leaving, you know? All that time he spent with me, all the effort he put in, futilely, to keeping us safe, and he just-"

Edelgard didn't cry often, but she let out a choked sob now. "I suppose it makes sense that I still feel bad," she said. "All that time, and I never truly said goodbye."

"I understand," Byleth said. They couldn't, not really - their father had been right there when he died.

Edelgard hadn't, though. In just a handful of moons, she'd lost two fathers and never said a word of farewell to them. They _couldn't_ understand how she felt, but they could maybe try to help.

"I wish I didn't miss him," she said. "He doesn't deserve it. He did nothing, all those years. He never found me; I'm not sure he ever looked. Did you know that it was Hubert who hired the mercenaries to find me? My father didn't."

"Maybe he wanted you to get away," they said. They ran a hand up and down Edelgard's back, hoping that maybe they could soothe her. They didn't want her to go to bed tonight feeling like this; the uncertainty was bad enough already. "He knew there was little he could do to protect you, other than let you be free."

Edelgard let out a gasping laugh. It wasn't pretty. "And look where that got us," she said, her voice bitter. "He's dead. The snake who did this to me in the first place leads the Empire openly, and now he'll fight the Church, the whole continent, to get what he wants. And I can't do anything to stop him."

"Perhaps not," they agreed. There was nothing else they could say - at this point, they had no idea how large the Empire's army was. Whatever happened, they'd been planning this for a while, and Edelgard was just a single person. She couldn't stay the tides of war - nor would they want her to. "But we can try. And we can refuse to give in."

"And I'll see you dead in a ditch by the end of the moon," Edelgard snapped. Byleth flinched away; there was something so hard and angry to her voice. "You'd throw your life away for a cause that's been tricking us, tricking _you,_ from the start. Don't think I missed the way the Archbishop watched you today, Byleth. These people are no better."

"These people are where we stand for now," they said firmly. They'd made this decision and they would stick to it, for better or worse. They didn't like going back on their word.

And besides, there were people they cared about here. They wouldn't turn tail and run from their responsibilities; not as a friend or a teacher.

Edelgard let out a sigh, and turned to face them. The look in her eyes was panicked, but filled with conviction. "Don't die," she said. "You can stand all you like, but you will _not_ fall."

Byleth thought of everything Edelgard had lost. All the friends, all the family. Each piece of prestige, each scrap of dignity. She'd lost all of it, and now all she had was the certainty in the swing of her axe, the smiles of the Eagles, and... them.

"I won't fall," they promised, taking her hands in theirs. "I swear it."

* * *

The moon was fraught with the promise of impending doom. Byleth spent every day, sunrise to sunset, giving themselves and others a crash course on siege techniques.

No one really knew how to protect a monastery that hadn't been attacked in hundreds of years, maybe longer. No one could tell them when they asked.

The first port of call was one Byleth had, regretfully, expected - the Black Eagles students were under a considerable amount of suspicion. It was their families that were at the head of this invasion, and no one quite knew if they'd suspected anything. Byleth was inclined to trust them, but plenty weren't. It certainly grated at the Eagles' patience.

"I need to persuade them to make a decision," Edelgard said, pacing back and forth in their bedroom. The carpet had probably worn thin at this point, given just how much time she'd spent mulling things over in here. Byleth didn't mind; it didn't look much like the room would be in use for much longer.

"How do you plan to do that?" they asked.

Edelgard sighed. "I'm honestly not sure," she said. "I can't just ask them to stay at my side. They are... entitled to their own opinions about this conflict, and I cannot wholeheartedly recommend they stay and fight for this cause when going home would be in their best interests."

"I could come with you," they answered. "I don't know if it would help to have me there, but you could just ask them what they're going to do. I'll be there to back you up should you need it."

"I doubt it would help much," Edelgard said. They were getting quite used to the sound of her dejected laugh. "But I would be grateful for your presence all the same. Thank you."

It wasn't hard to get all the students together in one place - every day was filled with training, and the easiest way to get that done was to do it all in one go. The Black Eagles sat in their classroom, all of them paying varying amounts of attention to the maps in front of them. "Professor Manuela," Edelgard said when she entered. "Could I borrow my classmates briefly?"

Manuela shot Byleth a look that could only be described as tired and rose from her seat. "Go ahead," she said. "I'm sure you can handle this, Professor. Fetch me from my office if you can't." As she walked past, she muttered something under her breath that they couldn't decipher. It probably related to alcohol, which Byleth could sympathise with if not fully understand.

They were all under a lot of stress. And when the Black Eagles clustered around the pair of them, Byleth couldn't help but think that they probably had the worst of it. No matter their opinions on this conflict, their whole futures were being thrown even more into question by this.

"Thank you, everyone," Edelgard said.

"You haven't actually said anything yet, you know," Caspar replied.

Edelgard chuckled. "I suppose not," she said, "but I think I can thank you for not turning me away anyway. There's... a lot going on right now. I didn't expect you all to be willing to listen."

"I think you might be trying to divert a little," Dorothea warned, and Edelgard laughed again.

"You're right," she said. She glanced at them and took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll get it out. I would be honoured if any of you were willing to stay through the attack. If you would rather depart and stand at the sides of your country and family, I cannot blame you, but I will remain. I feel it is- important to get this out in the open sooner rather than later."

For a moment, Byleth was worried that she'd said the wrong thing. There was silence, and her words were greeted with only solemn looks from the other Eagles. 

"I will stand by you," Ferdinand said. He puffed out his chest just a little as he spoke. "You will need all the help you can get, and the things my father has done to reach this day, this scenario, cannot be tolerated."

Hubert glanced to the side and then sighed. "I will remain also," he said. "Great atrocities have been committed in the Empire's name, far greater than can be justified as a service for the good of the Emperor. I would snap my father's neck if I could, but for now this will do."

Linhardt nodded, showing more energy than Byleth had ever seen from him before. "So many things occurred in the shadows of the Empire," he said. "Terrible things that we were all kept thoroughly in the dark about. I can't say I feel _good_ about turning my back on my father, but I won't be going back home."

"I will stay also," Petra said. "With the Empire stabbing us in the back, I cannot trust them to follow their word."

When Byleth glanced around, the other students nodded. They smiled at Edelgard, who smiled brightly in return. "Thank you, all of you," she said. "It means a lot to me that you would stay by my side, even when the odds look dire."

"And if you want to jump ship and run away," Dorothea added, "I'd happily follow you there too."

Edelgard's smile brightened even more at that, and something rose in Byleth's chest as they watched her.

Edelgard used to be pretty shy around people. She was confident in her abilities, sure, and she enjoyed saying her piece; most of the company did.

She wasn't the kind of person who led them. She worked on everything from behind the scenes, slipping in a good or bad word about various instances or individuals. She was a fighter, and a _natural_ leader, but she'd never held a desire to actually lead.

Too much responsibility, she'd once said. That was when she was posed with the question of commanding a handful of mercenaries in a squad for a job. Now, Byleth could watch with pride as she stepped up to lead her classmates with a firm smile on her face.

She was finally ready to do what she'd always been suited for. In all of this darkness, maybe this was the slither of light.

* * *

With the Empire's army at their doorstep, the lines of battle were drawn. The Black Eagles were to take the eastern section of the Monastery, hoping to draw away some of the forces on that end. The Blue Lions would take the point, and Byleth would lead the Golden Deer on the western end. With any luck, they'd keep the Empire's forces at bay long enough to force a retreat, and all their preparation would be worth it.

That meant that, when the first cries of battle rose, Byleth looked over to Edelgard and had to tear themselves away. Just before they could move, however, Edelgard caught their hands in hers. "Promise me again," she said. "You'll survive this?"

"I'll do everything I can," Byleth promised, "so long as you swear to do the same."

"I will," she said firmly. "I will leave this battle triumphant, as will you. And failing that, I will leave alive."

"I'd rather have the former," they admitted, and Edelgard let their hands drop, "but I'll take anything we can get. I'll see you on the other side."

"On the other side," Edelgard echoed, and turned away.

The battle was long and hard. Byleth was unused to such protracted assaults, as were the rest of their students. The reinforcements were seemingly endless, and their battle against the Death Knight took a lot out of their students.

But, seemingly, they prevailed. A cheer went up from the centre, a sure sign that the Lions had come out victorious in their battle against the army's commander. A roar went up, the Deer surged forwards, and then-

Byleth caught sight of the bottom of the hill. Of hundreds or thousands more soldiers pouring into the monastery's town. Of the Demonic Beasts they'd been fighting appearing in ever greater numbers.

They saw the Archbishop, standing on a precipice. Unthinking, they dashed towards her, hoping she'd have some idea of what was going on. But when they opened their mouth, she shook her head. "Evacuate the monastery," she said. "Save the students, Professor, and fight back. Whatever you see today or hear in the future, know that I did all of this to protect you."

And then she was gone. In her place, a huge creature rose.

Byleth didn't know what to do. They watched, struck through with terror, as the dragon pushed some of the army into retreat. And then they watched, ever more horrified, as the Beasts piled up. They got closer and closer, moving to tear out the creature's throat.

Byleth jerked into action. They raced down the plains, ignoring the forces streaming past them. Ignoring all the students fleeing for their lives in the opposite direction. Once they were halfway down the hill, however, a cry sounded.

"Byleth!" They whipped their head around to find the source of the sound, and that was all Edelgard needed to catch up to them. Her hand found their arm, tugging them back. "We have to go. Now."

They shook their head. "Rhea is in danger," they said. "I know she's hidden things, but if I don't act, she'll die. I'll never get my answers."

They were running out of time. Edelgard tugged again, her eyes full of fear. "Please, Byleth," she said. "You promised me. I will _not_ lose someone else to this. Any of this."

Byleth took a deep breath, preparing to shake her free, when they stopped. If Rhea died, there would be no answers. But as it stood, they were isolated. If they charged forwards now, they weren't all that likely to make it out alive themselves. They'd learn nothing, and Edelgard would lose one of the only things she had left.

"Alright," they said, squeezing their eyes shut as they turned away. Maybe they would regret this, but at least they would live to do so.

Getting away was hard. Everything was chaos, and by the time they reached the monastery once more, half of it was in flames. The pair of them battled through the smoke and rubble, desperately trying to find a safe exit to escape through. Byleth dread to think what would happen to anyone who got left behind.

Eventually, however, they made it. The air cleared, and the sounds of battle faded into the distance. For a moment, Byleth stopped, glancing back at the place they had called home for a year of their life. So much had happened, and now, it burned.

"Come on," Edelgard said, tugging at their arm once more. She hadn't let go of their hand the whole time, and Byleth couldn't blame her.

They turned away for a final time, trying to push thoughts of the future out of their head for now. All they could do was hope that, one day, everything would be okay.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years later, the end finally arrives.

No matter how much Byleth tried and tried again to reinforce the flaps on their tent, pull them securely closed at night, it happened every time - they woke to a tiny slither of sunlight peeking through the cracks and falling, predictably, right in their eyes.

With the new dawn came a new day, and that meant there was plenty to do - there always was. First, they pulled on their inner layer, then their armour, and then slung their coat over their shoulders. The sun in Enbarr was unlikely to fade away, but Byleth knew enough about how changeable the temperature could be.

Without a moment spent waiting, they left the tent and headed across the central section of the army's camp to the largest tent. Embellished with red and gold, there was no doubt as to who it belonged to; maybe that made it a target when they slept, but Byleth trusted Hubert's guards to keep Edelgard safe.

Before they could arrive, one of the lookouts flagged them down. "Tactician Eisner!" he called. "There's something to report. Troops have been spotted preparing within the city walls - we don't know how long it'll be before they attack, but we should get moving as soon as possible. Could you pass the news along?"

They nodded. "Thank you," they said. They crossed the rest of the camp, ducking inside the tent. Soon, they would head to battle.

Edelgard was, predictably, already up and at the tactics table when they entered. She stood, tall and proud, alongside the finest generals Fodlan could provide. Claude hunched over the table, his eyes tracking tens of variables at once, while Dimitri stood back just a little, surveying the mock-up of the battlefield before them.

"You're up bright and early," they greeted. The three of them startled, turning towards them immediately. "Please tell me you haven't been here long."

"I arrived only two minutes ago," Dimitri confirmed. Claude and Edelgard looked away, but there was nothing to be done about it now.

"You need to be ready to move," they said. "Troops have been sighted preparing for battle in Enbarr. We'll be needed before the hour."

"Of course," Edelgard said with a nod. "Are you satisfied with your strategies, Claude?" she asked. Claude looked down at the map one last time and nodded. "If all goes to plan, we'll have the city - and the Archbishop - back before close of day. Go and get ready."

Both Dimitri and Claude nodded their assent, filing out of the tent within moments. "Need a hand?" Byleth asked, approaching Edelgard's position.

Edelgard looked over at her armour, neatly prepared the evening before, and nodded. "If you have the time to offer it," she said.

They were well practised in it by now; the armour Edelgard adopted within months of the outbreak of war was heavy, and she couldn't get into it alone. Byleth knew each and every strap, the point at which everything linked, and precisely how to settle it on their partner's shoulders. Once it was done, they fastened the cloak and stood back.

"How do I look?" Edelgard asked, a note of amusement in her tone.

Byleth laughed. "Like the world's most expensive mercenary."

"I'm still waiting for the church to pay us," she grumbled, but Byleth knew she didn't  _ really  _ mind. This war was about far more than food on the table for a mercenary group that had taken on only one contract in the past five years.

"Well, we may just get paid today," they said.

Edelgard smiled. "This has been a long time coming," she said. "I'm glad to see it done."

"It's not done just yet," they reminded her.

"I know, I know," she said, moving to the corner of the tent to take up her axe. "But soon we will be. And then..." Edelgard cut off with a frown. "And then comes the rest of our lives."

Byleth nodded. "Ready to go?" they asked, turning towards the tent's exit for what would hopefully be the final time in quite a while. 

The future awaited them.

* * *

The battle was long and hard, which was nothing outside of what they expected. They fought first in the streets of Enbarr, mopping up every last soldier they could find (because if there was one thing they'd learned over the past five years, it was that these soldiers of darkness never surrendered). From there, they moved on to the palace.

The palace was more of a challenge. It was well-fortified, and from the horrified glances of the ex-Empire soldiers, Byleth could tell that the inside had been gutted out to make room for something more defensible. There were mages at every corner, packing magic darker than anything any Fodlans soldier had ever attempted.

At the head of the chamber stood a horrifying beast. It was a huge white thing, its skin cracked and its voice filling the throne room with screams. Facing it down, Edelgard darted left; Byleth darted right.

The fire it breathed scorched hot, and it took more than a few stabs for Byleth to dig their sword in its chest. As it fell to the ground, body smoking and already falling apart, they caught sight of its eyes.

Once, Byleth had described those eyes as sharp. Now, they saw nothing but pain.

"Be at peace," they murmured, and Seiros closed her eyes.

Byleth looked over at Edelgard and smiled. It was finally over.

The elation that came with victory spread rapidly, and within the hour the palace was full of shouting and cheering. The crowds were thick, but it wasn't hard for Byleth to make their usual post-battle rounds to their former students. Their comrades, now - the people they'd fought alongside for years upon years.

Usually, they asked how people were holding up. If there were any injuries that needed to be addressed, or problems that needed to be solved. They'd become a listening ear for many students with all the problems under the sun, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, however, there was only one question on their lips: "What are you going to do now?"

Some of their students met the question with a nervous laugh. "Keep fighting, I suppose," Caspar said. Claude's response took the form of a knowing look, a small smile playing on his lips - he had something more planned.

"I will follow Edelgard," Ferdinand told them. "I do not know what she shall do next, but I sorely help she will stay to some degree to help the Empire rebuild. I would be happy to serve as her Prime Minister."

Hubert's sentiment was much the same. "I will serve Lady Edelgard," he informed them. "If you can persuade her to stay, I will do the same. If you cannot… well, I am sure the mercenary life cannot be too bad."

"I don't think we'll go back to being mercenaries after this," they said. "You don't have to follow her, you know."

"I know," he said firmly. "But I wish to, so I will."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that," they said. They glanced to the side, expecting Edelgard to be within Hubert's range of sight, but they couldn't see her.

And that was when they realised: Edelgard wasn't there. They'd seen her in the wake of the battle, of course, and made sure she had any injuries attended to, but then they'd found themselves swept up in the celebrations. At some point between then and now, Edelgard had vanished.

"Where are the imperial chambers?" they asked. Hubert frowned for a moment and then nodded.

"In the west wing," he said. "From here, up two flights, take two lefts and then the second right. Lady Edelgard's chambers were the fourth door along."

"Thank you," they said. "You've done a lot for her, Hubert. I know she's grateful."

"She has said as much," he replied, his posture straightening almost imperceptibly. Some things really didn't change.

Byleth followed his directions, moving through progressively emptier halls until the sounds of the crowds faded almost altogether. The only thing that remained was a gentle murmur and the sound of their footsteps, one after the other.

The corridor leading to the chambers was cold. Byleth would admit that growing up here couldn't have been welcoming. It was strange to see the place Edelgard spent her early years.

When they finally arrived, they took a short moment to look around. It was a fairly plain bedroom; papers and books sat on the desk in one corner, where an unlit candle sat, covered in dust. It was all covered in dust - the bookshelf, the drawers, the cracked mirror on top of the vanity. Edelgard stood at the head of the double bed, which was far too large for a child as small as Edelgard had been.

“It’s just as I left it,” she said, without turning around. “Everything is exactly in place, just as it was then. No one’s moved a thing.”

They nodded, and came to stand by her. Without a word, she leaned into their side, her head on their shoulder. "What are you going to do now?" they asked softly.

"I don't know," she admitted with a laugh. "That's why I didn't say anything earlier. I have no idea where to go from here."

"People want you to rule," they said. There was no point keeping it from her.

"I know," she replied. There was a hint of a laugh to her tone. "But..." She sighed.

“But?”

“I don’t want to do it without you.”

They nodded. They’d never been one for fancy ceremony, and sometimes the limelight of authority made them uncomfortable. There had been whispers, over the last few weeks, of an empty chair at the head of the Church. That was something they definitely didn’t want.

“Would you leave again, like before?” they asked.

The way Edelgard’s face fell told them everything they needed to know. “I don’t know,” she replied.

“Then I’ll stay,” they decided. Come what may, they could face it down. With Edelgard by their side…

The sharp lines on Edelgard’s face relaxed, and she leaned almost imperceptibly closer to Byleth. “Thank you,” she said. She glanced around the city; all the buildings were lighting up as darkness fell, and the sound of celebrations could reach them even here.

“Any time.”

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Edelgard asked with a chuckle. “That no matter how many things change, some things always stay the same.”

“Only the best things, I’d hope.”

Edelgard looked up at them and smiled. “Yes,” she said. “The best thing always stays the same, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

The sun was low in the sky when Edelgard wrapped up her reading for the afternoon. She packed all the papers away into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and stood from the bench.

She looked towards the wall. It was an old wall, and it looked exactly the same as it had all those years ago. It seemed shorter now than it had when she scaled it back then, but she didn't know if that meant anything.

She left it behind. She didn't need to escape anymore.

The corridors stretched on as she made her way to the end of the journey. There were still things to be patched up; the odd tapestry that hadn't been replaced, a coat of arms that hung slightly wonky on the wall. Little things - nothing that couldn't be fixed. It felt like a disservice, in a way, to all the things lost that couldn't be replaced.

But this wasn't the time to think about the past, nor everything that fell to the side along the way. No, today was about the future.

Byleth stood at the end of the throne room when they entered. Their hair, newly cropped shorter than before, framed their face, which was alight with a smile. They stood with one arm leaned against the throne, waiting for her.

The room hushed as she walked the length of it. There was an acute pressure in her chest, the undeniable feeling of being seen, but she couldn't bring herself to mind all that much.

She sat down on the throne. Byleth smiled at her again, and she smiled encouragingly back up at them, gesturing for them to continue. They left her sights for just a moment, collecting the crown from its previous resting place and joining her once more.

"Edelgard von Hresvelg," they said. Edelgard stood, kneeling in front of them. "Will you take this crown as your own, accepting the burden of the peoples of Adrestia as a responsibility awaiting your solution?"

"I will," she said, her eyes fixed on the floor.

They heard more than felt the moment the crown was placed upon her head. The whole room filled with the sound of cheering, and she looked upwards. Byleth's eyes were alight with joy. "Then rise, Emperor Edelgard, and may the wings of the Hegemon carry you to triumph."

* * *

_ Byleth and Edelgard, alongside the armies of the Kingdom and Alliance, ended the tyranny of those who slither in the dark. There were many challenges ahead of them, but they had each other, and to ensure a society where people could rise and fall by their own merits, they spent their lives reforming the antiquated class system. They achieved much in their time together, and it is said that they were sometimes spotted leaving the palace to privately enjoy the world they created. How they spent those precious moments, none but the two of them will ever know. _

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand we're done! This fic was really fun to think about, so I hope you enjoyed it to. I've toyed with the idea of writing a sequel focusing on the timeskip period, so if you have any Thoughts on that please share.
> 
> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, a kudos/comment is very much appreciated.
> 
> I also have a twitter over at @samariumwriting where I talk about my writing, amongst other things!


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